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CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN 

JUNE   10-16,    1906 


REPORT  OF  THE   PROCEEDINGS,   WITH    FULL 

DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    MANY   EVENTS 

OF  ITS  SUCCESSFUL  CELEBRATION 


OLD  HOME  WEEK 


MERIDEN,   CONN.,   THE   "SILVER   CITY" 


PUBLISHED    UNDER    THE    AUSPICES    OF    THE    GENERAL 
CENTENNIAL    COMMITTEE. 


THE   JOURNAL    PUBLISHING    CO. 
1906. 


COMMITTEE    ON    PUBLICATION, 

GEORGE   M.   CURTIS,   FRANCIS  AT  WATER 

AND    HERMAN    HESS. 

COMPILED  BY 
FRANCIS   ATWATER. 


AUTHORIZED   BY  TOWN  MEETING 


THE  FOLLOWING  RESOLUTION  AUTHORIZING  THE  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 

BY  VOTE  OF  THE  TOWN  WAS  PASSED  AT  AN  ,\DJOURNED 

MEETING   HELD  OCTOBER    10,    I904. 

(Adopted  Without  a  Dissenting  \"ote.) 

Resolved — That  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Town  of  Meriden 
be  celebrated  in  1906  and  that  a  committee  consisting  of  the  first  se- 
lectman, the  town  clerk  of  Meriden,  the  mayor  of  the  City  of  Meriden, 
the  president  of  the  Meriden  Business  Men's  association  and  the  pres- 
ident of  the  Meriden  Board  of  Trade,  be  and  hereby  are  appointed  a 
committee  with  power  to  select  ten  other  residents  of  Meriden  repre- 
senting its  important  business  and  professional  interests,  who  together, 
shall  form  a  committee  of  fifteen  and  who  shall  have  power  to  arrange 
for,  direct,  and  carry  out  all  plans  for  such  celebration  on  such  dates  in 
1906  as  they  shall  select  as  the  most  appropriate ;  shall  have  power  to 
appoint  any  and  all  additional  committees  in  their  opinion  necessary  to 
the  celebration,  but  shall  not  in  any  manner  obligate  the  Town  of  Mer- 
iden for  any  expense  incurred  without  a  specific  appropriation  for 
the  purpose  of  the  celebration. 


GENERAL  COMMITTEE 


GEORGE  M.  CURTIS,  President. 

FRANCIS  ATWATER,  Corresponding  Secretary, 

HERMAN  HESS,  Recording  Secretary. 


WILBUR  F.  DAVIS, 
CHARLES  F.  MONROE, 
EDWARD  T.  BRADSTREET, 
EDGAR  J.  DOOLITTLE, 
GEORGE  W.  COUCH, 
THOMAS  L.  REILLY, 


DEXTER  L.  BISHOP, 
JAMES  H.  WHITE, 
WILLIAM  A.  KELSEY, 
CLARENCE  P.  BRADLEY, 
GEORGE  W.   MILLER, 
CHARLES  H.  TREDENNICK. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


GEORGE  MUNSON  CURTIS, 
Treasurer  International  Silver  Company. 

PRESIDENT    CENTENNIAL    CELEBRATION. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN, 


FRANCIS  ATWATER, 
President  Journal  Publishing  Co. 

CORRESPONDING    SECRETARY    CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION. 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


HERMAN  HESS, 
Town  and  City  Clerk. 

RECORDING     SECRETARY    CENTENNIAL    CELEBRATION. 


CETENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


HON.  THOMAS  L.  REILLY, 
Mayor  City  of  Meriden. 


HON.  WILBUR  F.  DAVIS, 
Ex-Judge  of  Probate. 


HON.   EDGAR  J.   DOOLITTLE,  JAMES  H.  WHITE, 

E.\-Mayor  City  of  Meriden.  President  Wilcox  &  White  Company. 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


CHARLES  H.  TREDENNICK,  DR-   EDWARD  T.   BRADSTREET, 

President    Meriden    Board    of    Trade.  Medical    Examiner    for    Meriden. 


WILLIAM    A.    KELSEY, 
President    Kelsey    Press    Co. 


CHARLES  F.  MONROE, 
President  of  the  C.  F.  Monroe  Co. 


10 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


GEORGE  W.  MILLER, 
Selectman  Town  of  jMeriden. 


GEORGE  W.   COUCH, 
Ex-Representative  Town  of   Meriden. 


CLARENCE  P.  BRADLEY,  DEXTER  L.  BISHOP, 

Director  Bradley  &  Hubbard  Mfg.   Co.    Ex-Pres.  Meriden  Basiyss  Men's  Ass'n, 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


II 


FLOYD  CURTIS, 
Cashier    First    National    Bank. 

TREASURER,        MERIDEN        CENTENNIAL. 


HARRY  T.  KING, 
Member  Board  of  Park  Commission. 

AGENT    GENERAL    COMMITTEE. 


12  CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


ORIGIN  OF  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 


The  decision  to  celebrate  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  incor- 
poration of  Meriden  as  a  town,  was  the  result  of  long  consideration  and 
came  about  finally  by  the  crystallization  of  public  opinion  in  its  favor. 
Long  before  any  definite  steps  were  taken  the  subject  was  discussed  by 
the  residents  of  the  town  after  their  attention  had  been  called  to  its  im- 
portance by  frequent  references  in  the  public  prints  and  communications 
from  and  interviews  with  prominent  citizens  during  the  early  part  of 
1904. 

The  first  definite  steps  toward  bringing  about  the  Centennial  were 
taken  by  the  Meriden  Business  Men's  Association  at  a  meeting  held  Oc- 
tober 6,  1904,  just  preceding  the  adjourned  annual  town  meeting  of  that 
year,  when  the  following  resolutions  w"ere  unanimously  adopted : 

Resolved,  That  the  adjourned  annual  town  meeting  to  be  held  Monday, 
October  10,  be  asked  to  approve  the  proposal  to  celebrate  the  one-hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  Town  of  Meriden  in  1906,  and  to  appoint 
a  committee  representing  the  various  interests  of  the  town  to  formu- 
late, direct  and  carry  out  all  plans  for  the  event ;  said  committee  to  have 
power  to  appoint  all  necessary  sub-committees  to  assist  them  in  any 
capacity. 

Resolved,  That  this  association  suggest  to  the  adjourned  annual  tow^n 
meeting  that  the  committee  consist  of  the  first  selectman,  the  town 
clerk,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  the  president  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and 
the  president  of  the  Meriden  Business  Men's  association,  who  shall 
have  power  to  select  ten  other  members  from  the  important  business 
and  professional  interests  of  the  town. 

These  resolutions  were  presented  to  the  adjourned  town  meeting  on 
October  10,  1904,  and  approved  without  a  dissenting  voice.  W.  H. 
Squire  then  presented  the  following  resolution  which  was  also  unani- 
mously adopted : 

Resolved,  That  the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  town  of  Meriden 
be  celebrated  in  1906  and  that  a  committee  consisting  of  the  first  se- 
lectman, the  town  clerk  of  Meriden,  the  mavor  of  the  City  of  Meriden, 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN.  I3 

the  president  of  the  Aleriden  Business  Men's  association  and  the  pres- 
ident of  the  Meriden  Board  of  Trade,  be  and  hereby  are  appointed 
a  committee  with  power  to  select  ten  other  residents  of  Meriden  rep- 
resenting its  important  business  and  professional  interests,  who  to- 
gether, shall  form  a  committee  of  fifteen  and  who  shall  have  power 
to  arrange  for,  direct,  and  carr}'  out  all  plans  for  such  celebration  on 
such  dates  in  1906  as  they  shall  select  as  the  most  appropriate ;  shall 
have  power  to  appoint  any  and  all  additional  committees  in  their 
opinion  necessary  to  the  celebration,  but  shall  not  in  any  manner  ob- 
ligate the  Town  of  Meriden  for  any  expense  incurred  without  a  spe- 
cific appropriation  for  the  purpose  of  the  celebration. 

Under  this  vote  of  the  town  those  who  were  made  members  of  the 
committee  of  five  were  First  Selectman  George  W.  Miller,  Town  Clerk 
Herman  Hess,  Mayor  George  S.  Seeley,  President  Francis  Atwater,  of 
the  Meriden  Board  of  Trade,  and  President  Dexter  L.  Bishop,  of  the 
Meriden  Business  Men's  Association.  This  committee  met  November 
15  with  Mr.  Miller  as  chairman  and  Mr.  Hess  as  clerk,  and  completed 
the  committee  by  the  selection  of  the  following  gentlemen : 

George  M.  Curtis,  treasurer  International  Silver  Company. 

Ex- Judge  Wilbur  F.  Davis,  attorney-at-law. 

Charles  F.  Monroe,  president  of  the  C.  F.  Monroe  Company. 

Dr.  E.  T.  Bradstreet,  president  the  City  Medical  Society. 

Hon.  E.  J.  Doolittle,  ex-mayor  of  the  City  of  Meriden. 

George  W.  Couch,  ex-representative  of  the  Town  of  Meriden. 

James  H.  White,  president  the  Wilcox  &  White  Company. 

William  A.  Kelsey,  president  the  Kelsey  Press  Company. 

C.  P.  Bradley,  director  the  Bradley  &  Hubbard  Mfg.  Company. 

Three  days  later  the  committee  met  and  elected  George  M.  Curtis- 
as  president ;  Herman  Hess  as  recording  secretary  and  Francis  Atwater 
as  corresponding  secretary.  This  committee  was  later  somewhat 
changed  when  Charles  H.  Tredennick  succeeded  IMr.  Atwater  as  pres- 
ident of  the  board  of  trade,  and  became  a  member,  although  Mr.  Atwa- 
ter also  continued  on  the  General  Committee.  At  the  city  election  in 
1905,  Hon.  Thomas  L.  Reilly  was  elected  mayor  and  became  a  member 
of  the  committee,  succeeding  Hon.  George  S.  Seeley. 

Few  people,  aside  from  those  who  were  in  active  touch  wuth  the 
General  Committee  have  any  idea  of  the  immense  amount  of  work  that 
was  done  by  them.     From  the  very  beginning  it  was  apparent  that  m 


14  CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 

the  selection  of  George  IVl.  Curtis  as  president,  the  one  man  had  been 
selected  who  was  best  fitted  to  assume  the  heavy  obligations  of  the  office 
and  carry  them  to  a  successful  conclusion  with  honor  to  the  town  and 
to  himself. 

Mr.  Curtis  had  associated  with  him  on  the  General  Committee  men 
who  labored  industriously,  intelligently  and  ably  to  complete  the  multi- 
tudinous details  of  the  great  celebration  and  not  one  of  them  shirked 
those  duties  in  the  slightest  degree.  To  their  rare  devotion,  and  keen 
business  ability,  the  people  of  Meriden  are  indebted  in  no  small  way. 

The  first  act  the  committee  was  called  upon  to  perform  was  to  de- 
termine the  character  and  scope  of  the  celebration.  With  the  actual 
time  a  year  and  a  half  away,  any  programme  adopted  must,  of  necessity, 
have  been  purely  tentative.  With  the  new  Federal  building,  the  new 
Town  hall  and  an  armory  in  sight,  the  dedication  of  these  buildings  were 
part  of  the  plan  decided  on.  One  by  one,  however,  these  faded  away, 
the  Federal  building  to  wait  for  more  money,  the  armory  for  favorable 
legislative  action,  and  the  Town  hall  by  countless  delays. 

In  nearly  every  other  respect,  however,  the  good  judgment  of  the 
committee  was  shown  in  the  carrying  out  of  their  plans,  although  some- 
what changed  in  character  or  scope  by  the  changed  conditions  which 
arose  from  time  to  time.  The  hearty  manner  in  which  Meriden,  as  a 
whole,  entered  into  the  plan  of  the  Centennial  made  the  work  much 
easier,  as  attraction  after  attraction  oft'ered  itself  and  event  after  event 
came  to  be  booked,  until  a  fine  programme  was  the  result. 

The  character  and  dates  of  the  Centennial  having  been  determined, 
the  committee  sought  to  place  on  sub-committees  those  men  whom  they 
felt  could  be  relied  on  to  back  up  their  efforts  to  carry  out  the  trust 
the  people  of  Meriden  had  imposed  on  them.  The  result  was  the  selec- 
tion of  committees  who  did  noble  work  with  scarcely  an  exception,  as 
follows : 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


15 


PARADES  AND  GRAND  STANDS 


J.  S.  Stokes,  Chairman. 


C.  B.  BowEN.  Secretary. 


Wilbur  W.   Finnegan, 
Isaac  B.  Hyatt. 
Constant    K.    Decherd, 
Joseph    DeCantiixon, 
Albert  A.  May, 
Albert  L.   Stetson, 


Frank  E.  Fowler, 
SiG.  Bernstein, 
David   Bloomfield, 
Matthew  Beatty, 
Henry  L.  Morehouse, 
Frank  L.  Cowing, 


Cornelius  Kooreman. 


16 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


INVITATION 


Wales   Lixes,    Chairman. 


Georc.e    H.    Wilcox.    Secretary. 


Wilbur  F.  Rogers, 
William  L.  Taylor, 
Martin    B.    Schenck, 
Henry   L.   Schleiter, 
Fred  L.  Yale, 
Nathaniel  L.  Bradley, 
Julius  H.  Yale, 
E.  W.  Smith, 
Frank  Stevenson, 
William  G.  Warnock, 
Henry  Warren, 
John  Tait, 


George  Rollins, 
William  B.  Cashen, 
Henry  B.  Beach, 
A.  W.  Tracy, 
Frank  H.  Gushing, 
Julius  Augur, 
Henry  E.  Bushnell, 
Robert  G.  Church, 
Eli  Walker, 
John  Q.  Thayer, 
Thomas  H.  Warnock, 
Edgar  J.   Perkins, 
Ransom  L.  Baldwin. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


17 


TRANSPORTATION 


E.  E.   Smith,  Chairman. 


W.  H.  Russell,  Secretary. 


S.  Olin  Parker, 
Charles    S.    Palmer, 
L.    C.    Hinman, 
W.  P.  Bristol^ 
Ernest  B.  Moss, 


W.  G.  Hooker, 
Frederick  L.  Huntington, 
Charles  H.  Tredennick, 
Willis   I.   Fenn, 
Frank  P.  Evarts- 


i8 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


MUSIC  AND  PUBLIC  ENTERTAINMENT 


Robert  Carter,  Chairman. 


G.  Frank  Goodale,  Secretary. 


James  F.  Gill. 
George  Swift, 
I'red   B.    Hill, 
John  L.   Rutherford, 
Arthur  M.  Brooks, 
Albert  R.  Chamberlain, 
Hugh  F.  Hagarty, 
George  G.   Marble, 


Frank  Treat  Southvvick, 
Robert  A.  H.  Clark, 
Willard  S.  Pain, 
Thomas  H.  Maguire, 
William  E.  T.  Boole, 
Henry  W.   Hirschfeld, 
August  Maschmeyer, 
Thomas  A-  Benham, 


Tohn  W.  Fearnley. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


19 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESSES,  EVENTS  AND  RELICS 


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G.    AI.    Curtis,   Chairman. 


R.  J.   Merriam,   Secretary. 


Eli   C.   Birdsey, 
Willis   J.    Prouty, 
H.  DwiGHT  Beebe, 
Nelson  C.  Johnson, 
Walter  S.  Billard, 
Charles  H.  S.  Davis, 
John  W.  Curtis, 
e.  b.  everitt, 


Silas  B.  Hall, 
Marshall  A.  Fowler, 
Waldo  C-  Twiss, 
George  B.  Murdock, 
Julius    Ives, 
Clayton  F.  Hall, 
Charles  J.  Hinsdale, 
Henry  S.  Pratt. 


20 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


LICENSES  AND  PRIVILEGES 


A.    D.    Meeks,   Chairman. 


Geo.  L.  Kin'Gj  Secretary. 


p.  T.  O'Brien,  Trea.surer, 
Edward  M.  Beckley, 
Eugene    P.   Golden, 


John  F.  Williams, 
C.  J.  Heineman, 
William  C-  Mueller, 


W.  Irving  Wilcox, 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


21 


DECORATIONS  AND  STREET  FAIR 


G.  F.  Rogers,  Chairman. 


Arthur  E.  Miller, 
Willis  N.  Barber, 
Burton  L.  Lavvton, 
Charles  H.  Cox, 
Hubert  Little, 
Phineas  T.  Ives, 
J.  Emerson  Brown, 


Adam    Orr, 
Philip  J.  Handel, 
Leland  Ives, 
Louis    P.    Ellis, 
Edward  E.  Schmelzer, 
Elmer  E.  Spencer, 
I.  Burton  Miller. 


22 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


COMPLETION  OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS 


F.  D.  Smith,  Chairman, 


C.    E.    Stockder,    Secretary. 
August  Yost, 
Martin   H.   Brown, 
George  N.  Morse, 
F.  W.  Wakefield, 


George  E.  Bicknell, 
Henry  T.  Downs, 
Leroy  C.  Pardee, 
E.   A.  Merriman, 
Cornelius  J.  Danaher* 


James   R.   Sloane. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


23 


REPRESENTING  WALLINGFORD,  THE  MOTHER  TOWN 


L.  M.  Hubbard,  Chairman. 


Fraray  Hale,  Secretary. 


O.   H.  D.  Fowler, 
Rev.  Joseph  E.  Wildman, 
Walter   J.    Leavenworth, 
George  D.  Munson, 
William  H.  Newton, 


Frank  Wallace, 
J.  W.  Lane, 
W.  F.  Lane, 
Theodore  F.  Lane, 
Charles  H.  Tibbits. 


24 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


RELIGIOUS  OBSERVANCES 


\V.    H.   Catlin,   Chairman. 


F.  C.  Edgerton,  Secretary. 


Homer  A.   Curtiss, 
A.  H.  Gardner, 
Charles    A.    Learned, 
Rev.  Albert  J.  Lord, 
Rev.  Joel  S.  Ives, 
Rev.  John  Lynch, 
Rev.  J.  Harry  Holden, 
Rev.  Robert  A.  Ashworth, 
Almon  J.  Fletcher, 
Rev.  John  H.  Grant, 
Saxton  B.  Little, 
Rev.  Arthur  T.  Randall, 
Rev.  a.  van  Oppen, 
Rev.  John  Cooney, 

L  L  Gardner. 


Rev.  N.  F.  X.  Schneider, 
Rev.  Arthur  E.  Harris, 
Rev.  Frank  B.   Stockdale, 
Rev.  Robert  Larson, 
Rev.  C.  R.  Tappert, 
Rev.  Samuel  F.  Glaser, 
Rev.  David  I-'ridlund, 
Rev.  J.  W.  Cunningham, 
Rev.  R.  J.  Beach, 
Rev.  J.  HuBER, 
Rev.  Joseph   Culkowski, 
Rev.  L  Newton  Phelps, 
Edward  B.  Manning, 
Charles  H.  Pinks, 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


25 


FIREWORKS  AND  ILLUMINATIONS 


F.  S.  Fay,  Chairman. 


E.  B.  Whitney,  Secretaryi 


Charles  E.  Flynn, 
Charles  A.  King, 
Herman  Minkwitz, 
Oliver  Swan, 
G.  p.  Smith, 
Napoleon  J.  St.  Cyr, 


Joshua  Shute, 
Arthur  E.   Cope, 
John  A.  Thomas, 
B.  W.   Murphy, 
W.   P.  Bristol, 
William  C-  Homan, 


E.  T.   Sills. 


26 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


FINANCE 


J.    H.   White,  Chairman. 


C.  F.  Rockwell,  Secretary. 


Floyd  Curtis,  Treasurer, 
Frank  A.  Stevens, 
William    H.   Lyon, 
G.   M.  Clark, 
John  C-  Byxbee, 
Cornelius   W.   Cahill, 
Irving  L.  Holt, 
Eugene  A.  Hall, 
Benjamin   C-  Kennard, 


Charles  L.  Upham, 
Arthur  S.  Lane, 
George  E.   Savage, 
Henry  Dryhurst. 
W^ilbur  H.  Squire, 
John  L.  Billard, 
Charles   S.   Perkins, 
George  M.  Lucas, 
Junius  S.  Norton,  Jr. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


27^ 


PUBLICITY  AND  SOUVENIRS 


F.  E.  SandSj  Chairman. 


H.  T.  King,  Secretary. 


William   C.   Com  stock, 

Louis   Fisk, 

George  H.  Yea  mans, 


Charles  T.  Dodd, 
William  A.  Hickox, 
Henry  C-  Bibeau, 


Frederick  E.  Bemis^ 


28 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 

RECEPTION  AND  ENTERTAINMENT 


C.  M.   Williams,  Secretary. 
Edward  K.  Allen, 
g.   h.  bowker, 
George    A.    Fay, 
Charles  C.  Clock, 
Charles  N.  Foster, 
John  M.  Nagel, 
Patrick  Garvey, 
Hermon  E.  Hubbard, 
Walter  Hubbard, 
William  B.  Ives, 
James  Kane, 
John  S.  Lane, 
Winfield  R.  Coe, 
Russell  Hall, 
Seth  J.  Hall, 
Christopher  S.   Howard, 
Michael  G.  Reynolds, 
Charles  L.  Rockwell, 
Anthony   S.   Thomas, 
Benjamin  W.  Collins, 
James  A.  Curtiss, 
J.  D.  Eggleston, 


L-iuirman. 


Charles  F-  Linsley, 
John  McWeeney, 
Edward  Miller, 
H.  H.  Miller, 
William   W.   Mosher, 
Maurice  O'Brien, 
George  S.  Seeley, 
John  Ives, 
E.   M.    Smith, 
S.  D.  Otis, 
Benjamin  Page, 
Dexter  Parker, 
E.  Worthington  Pierce, 
H.  A.  Pierce, 
James  P.  Platt, 
August   Schmelzer, 
Philip  C-  Rand, 
Gilbert  Rogers, 
Samuel  Dodd, 
Cephas  B.  Rogers, 
Isaac  E.  Beach, 
W.  H.  A.  Maynard, 
John  W.  Coe. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


29 


SPORTS 


Thos.  L.  ReillYj  Chairman. 


J.    E.   Reynolds,   Secretary. 


A.    H.   Cashen, 
Leroy  J.  Gaines, 
William  A.  Penfield, 
Charles  Smart, 
C-   Winfield  King, 
Joseph  Beckett, 
George  Cooley, 
Wilbur  F.  Parker, 
Walter  S.  Shaw, 
Thomas  F.  Lyons, 
Dr.  F.  L.  Murdock, 
Herman    Kraemer, 


Fred    Weber, 
George  Lohmann, 
J.  Ferd  Allen, 
Patrick  J.  Griffin, 
Julius  Kuntze, 
George  L.  Clark, 
Fred  Roselius, 
Harold  A.  Meeks, 
Rudolf  Boehle, 
Lewis  A.  Miller, 

C.    E.    POLSEY, 

Henry  A.  W.  Prageman. 


.^o 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


ON  COLONIAL  BALL 


C.  E.  Stockder,  Chairman. 


Howard  Stevenson,   Secretary, 


I.  Burton  Miller, 
John   F.   McDonnell, 
Cornelius  Cahill,  Jr., 
Robert  G.  Church, 
Charles  W.  Clock, 
Fred    Billard. 


William  E.  Hinsdale, 
Waldemar  C.  Hirschfield, 
James  H.  Hinsdale, 
George  Ohl, 
Arthur  D.  Meeks, 
George  H.  Yeamans, 


Joseph  A.  Roberge. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


31 


INDUSTRIAL  PARADE 


Joseph    S.   Stokes,   Chairman, 
Henry    Stockder, 
Arthur  J.  Hall, 
William  G.  Snow, 
Joseph  H.  Beckett, 
•George  E.   Savage, 
Robert  J.  Merriam, 

HOBERT    C.    KoELLER, 

Frank  Evarts, 
I.  Burton  Miller, 
Wilton   Miller, 


Philip  J.  Handel, 
George  Swift, 
Frank  C.  White, 
F.  A.  Stephani, 
Frank  J.  Wallace, 
Thomas  A.  Benham, 
J.  Adolph  Johnson, 
Harry  A.  Stevens, 
E.  C.  Wilcox, 
William   Rettenmeyer, 
Irving  Cooley. 


MANUFACTURERS'  EXHIBITS 


Charles  F.  Monroe,  Chairman, 
Charles   F.   Rockwell,  Secretary, 
William    Zerfass, 


Clarence   P.    Bradley, 
C.  W.   King, 
George  H.  Wilcox, 


ON  PUBLIC  SAFETY 


Chief   of    Police    C    B.    Bowen, 
Chairman. 

Jerome    Bailey, 
Richard   Shaw, 
John  F.  Donovan, 
John  E.  Moffatt, 


Chief  Engineer  I.  B.  Hyatt, 
Secretary. 

DWIGHT   J.    FiNNEGAN, 

W.  R.  Bailey, 
David   Bloomfield, 
David  T.  Lyon. 


32 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


LADIES'  RECEPTION  AND  ENTERTAINMENT 


Mrs.  Abiram  Chamberlain,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   H.   Wales   Lines,  Mrs. 

Mrs.    Charles   L.    Rocwell,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   Charles  F.  Linsley,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  James  P-  Platt,  Miss 

Mrs.   Wilbur  F.  Rogers,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  George  H.  Wilcox,  Miss 

Mrs.  Francis   Stevenson,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Henry  Warren,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Nathaniel  L.  Bradley,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  W.  B.  Cashen,  Miss 

Mrs.  Charles  F.  Rockwell,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   John  L.   Billard,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Junius  S.  Norton,  Jr.,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  G.  E.   Savage,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   J.    H.   White,  Mrs- 

Mrs.   F.   E.   Sands,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Henry  T.  King,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Charles  T.   Dodd,  Miss 

Mrs.  William   A.   Hickox,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   Sig.   Bernstein,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Wilbur  W.  Finnegan,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Arthur  D.  Meeks,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   William   H.   Catlin,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Arthur  M.  Brooks,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   C   E.   Stockder,  Miss 

Mrs.  Cornelius  C.  Danaher,  Miss 

Mrs.   Edwin   E.    Smith,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Harold  A.  Meeks,  Mrs. 

Mrs.    I.    Burton   Miller,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Lewis  A.  Miller,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  George  M.  Curtis,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  George  C.  Merriam,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Charles  H.  S.  Davis,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  I'-rancis  Atwater,  Mrs. 

Mrs.   Wimu-r   F.   D.wis,  Mrs- 


Herman  Hess, 
Edward  T.   Bradstreet, 
John  W.  Coe, 
James  H.  Hinsdale, 

KiTTIE     NiCKERSON, 

W.  Irving  Wilcox, 
Lucy  Peck, 
E.  a.  Boardman, 
Edward  H-  White, 
Charles   H.   Stockder, 
Ruth  Merriam, 
Anthony  S.  Thomas, 
George  A.   Fay, 
Benjamin  W.  Collins, 
Floyd  Curtis, 
Maurice  O'Brien, 
John   S-  Lane, 
H.   C.  Wilcox, 

]\L\rv  a.   Butler, 
J.    H.    Chapin, 
Lew   Allen, 
William  G.  Warnock, 

Thomas  L.  Reilly, 

George   Cooley, 
Albert  Babb, 

Elsie  Lyon, 
Claire  Converse, 

Albert   A-   I\L\ther, 

George  A.   Church, 

John   Ives, 

Nathan  F.  Griswold, 
James  A.  Curtiss, 

Homer  A.  Curtiss, 

Christopher    S.    Howard, 

riiiLii'  C.  Rand, 

Charles  L.   Upham, 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


33 


Mrs-  Arthur  T.  Randall,  Mrs- 
Mrs.  William  W.  Mosher,  Mrs- 
Mrs.  Charles  N.  Winslow,  Miss 
Mrs.  Seth  J.  Hall,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  L.  E.  Savage,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  John  L.  Richmond,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  Wilbur  F.  Parker,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  John  L.  Rutherford,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  George  R.  Curtis,  Mrs. 
Mrs-  E.  Worthington  Pierce,  Mrs. 
Mrs  .E.  W.  Smith,  Miss 
Mrs.  E.  a.  Merriman,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  John  Q.  Thayer,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  W.  B.  Ives, 


E.  Tredennick, 
George  M.  Lucas, 
Sallie  Collins, 
Wilbur  H.  Squire, 
Benjamin  C.  Kennard, 
William  C.  Mueller, 
Hubert  Little, 
e.  b.  everitt, 
J.  Ferd  Allen, 
Charles    Lyon, 
Nan  Carter, 
John  C.   Churchill, 
Willis  J.  Prouty, 


HOME    CLUB,    SHOWING    DECORATIONS. 


34 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


PROGRAMME  FOR  WEEK,  JUNE  10-16 


SUNDAY,  June  10. 

MORNING. 

Services  in  all  churches  by  present  and 
former    pastors. 

State  convention  of  German  Catholics  at 
St.    Mary's    R.    C.    church. 

AFTERNOON. 

Union  service  at  First  Congregational 
church,  with  address  by  Rev.  Dr.  Lyman 
Abbott. 

Business  session  State  convention  of  Ger- 
man   Catholics    at    Company    L    Armory. 

EVENING. 

Services  in  all  churches  by  present  and 
former    pastors. 


OPENING   DAY,   MONDAY,   JUNE   11. 

MORNING. 

Opening  of  Midway. 

Opening  of  Historical  Loan  Exhibit. 

Opening  of  Manufacturers'  and  Varied  Arts 
Exposition  at  Hanover  Park. 

Southern  New  England  Turnfest  Parade 
and  opening  of  Athletic  Events  at  Schuetzen 
Park. 

Services  at  St.  Mary's  Church,  German 
Catholic  State  Convention. 

Connecticut  Bankers'  Convention  at  Home 
Club. 

AFTERNOON. 

1  p.  m. — Parade  of  German  Catholics  and 
St.  Bonifacius  Society. 

1  :30  p.  m. — Civic  and  Industrial  parade. 

Southern  New  England  Turnfest  at 
Schuetzen   Park. 

State  Veteran  Firemens'  meeting  at  Co.  I 
Armory. 

Banquet  Connecticut  Bankers'  Association. 

Base  Ball  at  Hanover  Park — WalUngford 
vs.  Mohawks,  2  p.  m.  ;  Tabs  vs.  Plainville, 
4  p.  m. 

EVENING. 

Fireworks  and  Illuminations. 
Southern    New    England    Turnfest    Ball    at 
Turner   Hall.        Band  concert. 


MORNING. 

Opening  of  Grand  Army  State  Encamp- 
ment. 

Automobile   parade. 

Southern  New  England  Schuetzenbund  pa- 
rade and  opening  of  shoot  at  Schuetzen 
Park. 

AFTERNOON. 

Parade   Connecticut   Department,   G.   A.    R. 

Presentation  of  memorial  tablet  by  Susan 
Carrington   Clarke   Chapter,    D.    A.    R. 

Base  Ball. — Big  Four  League,  Meriden  vs. 
Bristol,  at  Hanover  Park,   4  p.  m. 

Horse   Races  at  Trotting  Park. 

EVENING. 

State  G.  A.  R.  Camp  Fire  at  Auditorium. 
Fireworks  at  Hanover  Park. 
Band  concert. 


LABOR 


DAY,       WEDNESDAY, 
JUNE   13. 


Midway  all  day  and  evening. 
Historical  Loan  Exhibit  all  day. 
Manufacturers'  and  Varied  Arts  Exposition 
all   day  and  evening  at  Hanover  Park. 

MORNING. 

State  G.  A.  R.  Encampment  at  Auditorium. 

Parade  of  State  Federation  of  Labor. 

Southern  New  England  Schuetzenbund  at 
Schuetzen    Park. 

Opening  of  Golf  Tournament  at  Meriden 
Golf  Club. 

AFTERNOON. 

Concluding  Session  State  G.  A.  R.  En- 
campment. Election  and  installation  of  of- 
ficers. 

Field  Day  and  Addresses,  State  Federation 
of   Labor   at  Terrace  Garden. 

Golf  Tournament  at   Meriden  Golf  Club. 

Horse  Races  at  Trotting  Park. 


EVENING. 

Concert     at 


First     Methodist 


Centennial 
Church. 

Fireworks     and    concluding    session     State 
Federation  of  Labor  at  Terrace  Garden. 

Schuetzenbund  at  Turner  Hall. 


GRAND 


ARMY       DAY,     TUESDAY, 
JUNE   12. 


OLD       HOME        DAY,       THURSDAY, 

JUNE    14. 


Midway  all   day  and  evening. 
Historical  Loan  Exhibit  all  day. 
Manufacturers'    and    Varied    Arts    Exposi- 
tion at  Hanover  Park. 


Midway    all    day   and   evening. 
Historical    Loan    Exhibit,    all    day. 
Manufacturers    and    Varied    Arts    Exposi- 
tion at  Hanover  Park,   all   day  and  evening. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


35 


MOBNING. 

Cannon  salute,  7  a.  m. 
Parade     Connecticut     Fifers'     and     Drum- 
mers'   Association    at    10  :30. 

Golf  tournament  at   Meriden   Golf   club. 

AFTERNOON. 

Military    and    semi-Military   Parade. 

Golf    tournament,    Meriden    Golf    club. 

Field  Day,  Connecticut  Fifers'  and  Drum- 
mers'  Association,    at   Hanover   Park. 

Tennis  Tournament,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Ten- 
nis club. 

EVENING. 

Ball  and  contest  for  prizes,  Connecticut 
Fifers'  and  Drummers'  Association,  at  Au- 
ditorium. 

Fireworks   and   Illuminations. 

Band  concert. 


WALLINGFORD     DAY,     FRIDAY, 
JUNE  15. 

Midway,    all   day   and   evening. 

Historical   Loan   Exhibit,    all    day. 

Manufacturers'  and  varied  Arts  Exposi- 
tion, at  Hanover  Park,  all  day  and  even- 
ing. 

MORNING. 

Cannon    salute,    7    a.    m. 

AFTERNOON. 

Open  Athletic  Meet  at  Trotting  Park  under 
sanction  U.  A.  A. 

Parade  by  Putnam  Phalanx,   1   p.   m. 

Historical  addresses  at  First  Congrega- 
tional   church. 


Colonial    Ball   at   Auditorium. 
Fireworks  at   Hanover  Park. 


INCORPORATION  DAY,  SATURDAY, 
JUNE  16. 

Midway,    all   day   and   evening. 

Historical    Loan    Exhibit,    all    day. 

Manufacturers'  and  varied  Arts  Exposi- 
tion, at  Hanover  Park,  all  day  and  even- 
ing. 

MORNING. 

Cannon    salute,    7    a.    m. 

Reproduction  of  First  Town  Meeting, 
June    16,    1806,    at   Auditorium. 

Open  Handicap,   Meriden   Golf  club. 

Parade  and  opening  of  the  State  Saenger- 
fest. 

AFTERNOON. 

Historical  meeting  and  addresses,  at 
First   Congregational   church. 

Baseball  at  Hanover  Park,  Wesleyan 
University   vs.    Holy    Cross. 

State   Saengerfest  convention. 


CONNECTICUT      BANKERS'      ASSO- 
CIATION. 

MONDAY,    JUNE    11. 

Conventions  called  at  Home  Club  at  11 
a.    m. 

Election  of  officers  and  transaction  of 
business. 

Luncheon. 

Carriage   Drive. 

Banquet  in  ball  room  of  Home  club  at 
3  p.   m. 

President — Abiram  Chamberlain,  president 
Home    National    Bank,    Meriden. 

Vice  President — A.  Spencer,  Jr.,  president 
Aetna   National   Bank,   Hartford. 

Secret.\ry — C.  E.  Hoyt,  treasurer  South 
Norwalk    Trust    Company. 

Treasurer — C.  C.  Barlow,  cashier  Yale  Na- 
tional  Bank.   New  Haven. 

Executive  Committee — W.  E.  Atwood, 
president  Mechanics'  Bank,  New  Britain ; 
Charles  K.  Nettleton,  president  Birming- 
ham National  Bank,  Derby ;  Isaac  W. 
Brooks,  president  Brooks  National  Bank, 
Torrington  ;  F.  B.  Furlong,  cashier  Hart- 
ford National  Bank,  Hatford  :  James  H. 
Welles,  cashier  Uncas  National  Bank,  Nor- 
wich. 


LABOR   DAY 

WEDNESDAY,    JUNE    13. 

Grand  street  parade  at  10 :30  a.  m. 
Rendezvous  at  City  park.     Line  of  march  : 

Franklin,  to  Camp,  to  Center,  to  Pratt, 
to  Catlin,  to  East  Main,  to  Colony,  to 
Camp,  countermarch  to  Main,  to  North  First, 
to  Hanover,   to  Terrace  Garden. 

Addresses  at  2  p.  m.  bj'  noted  labor  men. 

Concert  afternoon  and  evening  by  City 
and  Military  bands. 

Dancing,  music  by  Hart  &  Cody's  or- 
chestra until  midnight. 

Sporting  events  at  3  :30  p.  m.,  includ- 
ing high  jump,  broad  jump,  100  yard  dash, 
sack    race,    pole    climbing,    tug    of    war,    etc. 

Awarding  of  prizes  at  6  p.   m. 

Fireworks   in  the  evening. 

Picnic  pastimes  of  all  sorts  will  be  held 
at  the  garden  during  the  afternoon  and 
evening. 


evening. 

Historical     meeting       and    addresses. 
First    Congregational    church. 
Fireworks    and    Illuminations. 
Band  concert. 


at 


HISTORICAL   EXERCISES 

FRIDAY,  JUNE  15. 

AFTERNOON. 

Introduction  of  presiding  officer  by  Pres- 
ident   George    Munson    Curtis. 

Address  by  Judge  Leveritt  M.  Hubbard, 
Wallingford,    presiding    officer. 

Music. 

Address  by  General  H.  B.  Carrington,  U. 
S.  A.,  Retired.  Hyde  Park,  Mass. 

Address  by  Rev.  James  E.  Wildman, 
Wallingford. 

Music. 

SATURDAY,   JUNE   16. 

AFTERNOON. 

Historical  address  by  President  George 
Munson  Curtis. 


36 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Poem  by  Dr.  William  S.  Johnson,  Yale 
University. 

Address  by  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Hart,  Mid- 
dletown.  President  Connecticut  Historical 
society. 

Music. 

Address  by  Hon.  William  Travers  Jerome, 
New  York. 

Address  by  Hon.  Simeon  E.  Baldwin, 
Judge  Supreme  Court,  representing  New 
Haven  Historical  society. 

Music. 

Address  by  Hon.  C.  LaRue  Munson,  Wil- 
liamsport.  Pa. 

Music. 

EVENING. 

Introductory  address  by  President  George 
Munson    Curtis. 

Music. 

Address  by  Hon.  Julius  H.  Pratt,  Mont- 
clair,  N.  J.,  on  "Early  Manufacturers  of 
Meriden." 

Address  by  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolley,  Pawtucket, 
R.   I. 

Music. 

Address  by  Prof.  David  N.  Camp,  New 
Britain. 

Reading  of  Winning  Prize  Essays  by 
School  Children. 

Music. 


GERMAN  CATHOLIC  CONVENTION. 

SUNDAY,    JUNE     10. 

Religious  services  at  10.30  a.  m.,  at  St. 
Mary's  church.  Church  street.  Rev.  N.  F.  X. 
Schneider,  celebrant ;  sermon  by  Rev.  Fr. 
Clement  Raab,  O.  F.  M.,  of  Butler,  N.  J. 

Special   musical    programme. 

Business  session  at  2  p.  m.,  in  Company 
L  armorv,  State  street.  George  Jacob,  of 
New  Haven,  state  president,  presiding  oflBcer. 


Meeting  of  all  German  Catholics  at  7  :30 
a.   m.,   in   Company   L   armory. 

Concert  by  St.  Mary's  Choral  club  of  50 
voices,  under  direction  of  R.  Seivert,  assist- 
ed by  Lyon's  orchestra. 

Soloists — John  Hergert.  Charles  Feith, 
Miss  Cecelia  Hopishki  and  George  Jacob,  of 
New   Haven. 

Address  of  welcome — Hon.  T.  L. 
mayor   of    Meriden. 

Address,  "German  Catholics  of 
ca  " — Rev.  Clement  Raab,  O.  F.  M. 
ler,  N.   J. 

Address,  "German  Societies" — Professor  G. 
Sarg,    of    Elizabeth,    N.    J. 


Reilly, 


Ameri- 
of   But- 


MONDAY,   JUNE   11. 

9  a.  m. — Services  at  St.  Mary's  church, 
followed  by  closing  business  session. 

1  p.  m. — Parade  of  German  Catholics, 
headed    by   Military   band. 

Form  on  State  street,  to  West  Main,  to 
Butler,  to  Hanover,  to  Columbus  avenue,  to 
Terrace  Garden. 

Afternoon — Picnic  at  Terrace  Garden  of 
association  and  of  St.   Bonifacius  society. 


STATE   ENCAMPMENT 

DEPARTMENT  OF  CONNECTICUT   GRAND 
ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

TUESDAY,  JUNE  12. 

9  a.  m. — Council  of  Administration  meet- 
ing at  Department  Commander's  headquar- 
ters in  Meriden  House. 

10  a.  m. — Encampment  called  to  order  at 
Auditorium. 

4  p  m. — Parade.  Form  on  streets  adja- 
cent to  Auditorium. 

ROUTE. 

East  Main  to  Butler,  countermarch  to  Col- 
ony street,  up  Colony  street  to  State  School 
for  Boys,  countermarch  to  West  Main  and 
dismiss. 

8  p.  m. — Camp  Fire  at  Auditorium,  with 
prominent  speakers. 

WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  13. 
Morning — Convention   reconvene. 
Afternoon — Election       and    Installation    of 
officers. 

OFFICERS      DEPARTMENT   OF      CONNEC- 
TICUT. 

Albert  A.  May,  Meriden,  commander. 

Franklin  Ball,  Bristol,  senior  vice  com- 
mander. 

L.  W.  Scofield,  Stamford,  junior  vice  com- 
maader. 

John  H.  Thacher,  Hartford,  assistant  ad- 
jutant general. 

Wm.  E.  Morgan,  New  Haven,  assistant 
quartermaster  general. 

Dr.   Levi  Jewett,  Cobalt,  medical  director. 

Wm.  Ferguson,  South  Manchester,  depart- 
ment   inspector. 

L.  A.  Northrop,  Wallingford,  chief  mus- 
tering officer. 

William  F.  Hilton,  Hartford,  department 
chaplain. 

John  F.  Simmons,  Winsted,  judge  advo- 
cate. 

James  R.  Sloane,  Meriden,  senior  aide-de- 
camp. 


ATHLETIC  GAMES. 

AT    TROTTING    PARK, 

FRIDAY.    JUNE    15. 

AT    2    p.    M. 

CHAMPIONSHIP     OF     MERIDEN 

FOR    MERIDEN    MEN    ONLY. 

100   yards   dash. 
Pole    vault. 
Running   high    jump. 
Running  broad  jump. 
Putting    16    lb.    shot. 

FAST     OPEN     EVENTS. 
BEST    MEN    OF   THE    STATE    AND    COLLEGES. 

100    yards    dash. 
One-half   mile   run. 
Mile    run. 
220   yards   dash. 

TUG    OF    WAR    FOR    CHAMPIONSHIP    OF    MERIDEN 

RELAY     RACES-— MERIDEN    TEAMS     ONLY. 

BOYS'    100    YDS.    CHAMPIONSHIP    FOR    MERIDEK 

BOYS     UNDER      15     YEARS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


17 


Silver  cups  provided  by  the  International 
Silver  Co.,  of  Meriden,  will  be  awarded  to 
■winners  of  the  first  three  places  in  each 
event  excpting  the  Tug  of  War  and  the 
Relay   Races,  and  the  Boys'   100  yards  dash. 

Cups  will  be  awarded  the  winning  team 
in    the    Tug   of   War    and    Relay    Race. 

Baseball  Gloves  for  first  and  second  and 
baseball  bat  for  third  prize  in  the  boys'  race. 


BASEBALL  GAMES. 

AT     HAXOVER     PARK. 

MONDAY,    JUNE    11. 

2  P.   M. — Central  League,   Mohawks   vs.  Wal- 

lingford. 
4   p.    M. — Big   Four   League,   Tabs   vs.    Plain- 

ville. 

TUESDAY,  JUNE  12. 

4  p.  M. — Big  Four  League,  Meriden  vs.  Bris- 
tol. 

WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  13. 

3 :30     p.     M. — Waterbury     vs.     New    Haven, 
Connecticut   League  Teams. 

SATURDAY,    JUNE    16. 

College    Championship.    Wesleyan    University 
vs.    Holy    Cross. 


TENNIS   TOURNAMENT. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Tennis  Club  will  con- 
duct a  tournament  at  their  courts  on  Lin- 
coln  street,   Thursday,    June   14. 


MERIDEN   GOLF  CLUB 

CENTENNIAL     TOURNAMENT. 
JUNE      13-16,      1906. 

WEDNESDAY.  JUNE  13. 

Qualifying  round  at  18  holes  medal  play, 
three  sets  of  16  each  to  qualify. 

THURSDAY,  JUNE  14. 

Morning — First  round  at  match  play,  18 
holes,  for  each  16. 

Afternoon — Second  round  at  match  play ; 
first  round  at  match  play  for  defeated  eight 
in  first  round. 


FRIDAY.    JUNE    15. 

all      classes, 


18 


Morning — Semi-finals 
holes,    match    play. 

Afternoon — Finals,  all  classes,  18  holes, 
match  play. 

SATURDAY,   JUNE  16. 

Open  handicap,  18  holes,  medal  play. 

PRIZES 

The  prizes  offered  are  of  cut  glass  and 
sterling  silver  and  unusually  handsome  and 
valuable.     They  are  as  follows  : 

Best  score,  qualifying  round — Cut  glass 
decanter,   sterling  top. 

Winner,  first  sixteen — Sterling  silver 
pitcher. 

Runner  up,  first  sixteen — Cut  glass  decan- 
ter,   sterling    top. 


Winner,  consolation,  first  sixteen — Cut 
glass  decanter,  sterling  top. 

Winner,  second  sixteen — Cut  glass  cigar 
jar,  sterling  top. 

Runner  up,  second  sixteen — Cut  glass  de- 
canter,  sterling  top. 

Winner,  consolation,  second  sixteen — 
Leather  covered  clock. 

Winner,  third  sixteen — Tobacco  jar,  ster- 
ling top. 

Runner  up,  third  sixteen — Silver  smoking 
stand. 

Winner,  consolation,  third  sixteen — Gold 
plated   shaving   set. 

Best  gross  score,  handicap — Optic  cut 
glass   jug,    sterling   top. 

Best  net  score,  handicap — Thistle  cut  glass 
jug,   sterling  top. 

SOUTHERN  NEW  ENGLAND  TURN- 
FEST. 

JUNE    9,     10,     11. 
SATURDAY,    JUNE    9. 

Grand    Reception    of    Visiting    Members. 

A   Banquet  will  be  held  in  the  Main  Hall. 

Address  of  Welcome  by  the  Following 
Gentlemen :  His  Honor,  the  Mayor,  Thomas 
L.  Reilly  :  President  of  the  District  of  Con- 
necticut Turner  Societies,  M.  J.  Young  of 
Hartford  ;  President  of  the  Meriden  Centen- 
nial Committee,  G.  M.  Curtis  :  President  of 
the   Meriden   Turner   Society,    Fred   Weber. 

Meeting  of  the  Judges,  Tutors,  Technical 
Committee. 

Distribution  ©f  quarters  to  visiting  mem- 
bers. 

SUNDAY,  JUNE  10. 

Big  family  outing  at  Schuetzen  Park  in 
Honor  of  the  Guests. 

8  a.  m. — Rehearsal  of  the  Mass  Wand  Ex- 
ercises by  All  Classes. 

8.30-12  a.  m. — Class  Competition.  Appa- 
ratus Work. 

Concert — Selections  by  the  Meriden  City 
Band   During  the  Afternoon. 

2  p.  m. — Continuation  of  Class  Work  and 
Special    Events. 

5  p.  m. — Wand  Exercises  en  Masse. 

8  p.  m. — Grand  Entertainment,  Sacred 
Concert  at  Turner  hall  for  visitors'  families 
and   their    friends. 

MONDAY,    JUNE    11. 

8  a.  m. — Members  Meet  at  Turner  Hall. 

9  a.  m. — Parade  Headed  by  City  Band, 
after  marching  through  principal  streets, 
proceed  direct  to  Schuetzen   Park. 

10  a.  m. — Continuation  of  special  events, 
fencing,   wrestling,    jumping,    running. 

2  p.  m. — Grand  exhibition  of  varied  ex- 
ercises by  the  ladies'  classes  of  the  state 
societies. 

4  p.  m. — Distribution  of  honors  to  the 
winners,  in  the  shape  of  wreaths,  diplomas, 
pennants  by  the  state  officers. 

8  p.  m. — Grand  Ball  at  Turner  Hall  and 
closing  exercises. 

Schuetzen  Park  is  on  Steuben  street,  oppo- 
site Capitol  avenue.  Take  West  Main  street 
car  to   Capitol   avenue. 


PRESENTATION    D.    A.    R.    TABLET. 

Presentation    of    Memorial    Bronze    Tablet 
bearing   names  of  all   Revolutionary   Soldiers 


38 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


and  Militiamen  from  the  Parish  of  Meriden, 
1775  to  1783,   by 

SUSA    CARBINGTON    CLARKE    CHAPTER^    D.    A.    E., 

TUESDAY,    JUNE    12,    AT    2    P.    M.,    FIRST 

METHODIST     CHURCH. 

Music  by  Glee  Club. 

Hi-storical  Address. 

Committee's  Report  and  presentation  of 
tablet  to  Regent  by  Mrs.   L.   K.   Curtis. 

Music — Trio. 

Presentation  of  tablet  by  Mrs.  Kate  Foote 
Coe,   Regent. 

Acceptance  of  Tablet  by  George  Munson 
Curtis. 

Music — "My  Own  United  States." 

Address — Mrs.  Sarah  T.  Kinney,  State 
Regent. 

Music — "America." 

Benediction. 


VETERAN    FIREMEN'S    MEETING. 

HEADQUARTERS,        COMPANY        I        ARMORY, 

PALACE    BLOCK. 

MONDAY,    JUNE    11. 

Morning — Arrival  of  visiting  firemen  and 
gathering    at    headquarters. 

1  :30  p.  m. — Participate  in  Civic  parade 
with  old   fire  appaatus. 

4  p.  m. — Dinner  in  Company  I  Armory 
with  addresses  by  visitors  and  others  fol- 
lowed  by    social   time. 

COMMITTEE. 

John  D.  Roberts,  president ;  Richard  B. 
Kearney,  vice  president  :  Albert  A.  May, 
secretary  ;  George  N.  Shepherd,  treasurr ; 
George  R.  Tyon.  foreman  ;  Bernard  Curran, 
assistant    foreman. 

DRUM   CORPS. 

TWENTY-FIRST  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

CONN.    FIFERS    AND    DRUMMERS'    ASSO- 
CIATION  UNDER  DIRECTION   OF  THE 
MERIDEN  FIFE  AND  DRUM  CORPS. 

THURSDAY,    JUNE    14. 
PARADE    LINE    OF    MARCH. 

Rendezvous  at  City  Park,  formation  on 
Camp  street,  right  resting  on  Camp,  corner 
of  Franklin.  Camp  to  Center  to  Colony  to 
West  Main,  to  Lewis  avenue  ;  countermarch 
to  East  Main  to  Broad  to  Liberty  to  East 
Main   to   Pratt  and  dismiss. 

ORDER    OF    PROCESSION. 

Squad  of  police. 
Chief  Marshal   W.   J.    Brunell. 

AIDS. 
C.    L.    Heckler,    E.    A.    Everard. 
FIRST    DIVISION. 
MODERN  FIFE  AND  DRUM  CORPS  CLASS. 
Meriden    Fife    and    Drum    corps,    Meriden. 
Y.   M.   T.   A.   B.   Drum  corps.   New  Britain. 
Glastonbury   Drum   corps    Glastonbury. 
Meriden  Pulaski   Drum  corps,   Meriden. 
Military    Drum    band,    Southington. 
M.  G.  Bulkeley  Drum  corps,  Hartford. 
New   London   Drum  corps,   New   London. 


Plainville  Drum  corps,  Plainville. 
Regimental    Drum    corps,    Norwich. 
Sacred  Heart   Drum  corps,   Waterbury. 
St.  Anne's  Drum  corps,  'Waterbury. 
Second  Regiment  Drum  corps,  New  Haven. 
Kennedy    Guards,    Danbury. 

SECOND    DIVISION. 

ANCIENT       FIFE       AND       DRUM       CORPS 

CLASS. 

American  Graphophone  Drum  corps, 
Bridgeport. 

A.    S.    &    K.,    Drum    corps,    Hotchkissville. 
Deep    River    Drum   corps,    Deep    River. 
Liberty    Drum   corps.    New   Britain. 
Grenadier  Drum   corps,   Milford. 
■Wallingford    Drum   corps,   Wallingford. 
Portland    Drum    Corps,    Portland. 
Pratt  &  Read  Drum   corps.   Deep   River. 
S.   H.   Comstock  Drum  corps.   Ivoryton. 
Lancraft's  Drum  corps,   New  Haven. 

THIRD   DIVISION. 

MODERN  FLUTE  AND   PICCOLO   BAND. 

Allen  Drum   band,  Hartford. 

T.  M.   Russell  Drum  band,   Mlddletown. 

Oriental    Flute   band,    Stamford. 

FOURTH    DIVISION. 

DRUM    CORPS   ■V\aTHOUT   FIFES. 

Jewell  Belting  Co.,   Drum  corps,   Hartford. 
Bolden's    Drum    corps,    Hartford. 
Charter   Oak   Drum    corps,    Hartford. 
McLean's   Drum   corps,   Hartford. 

FIFTH  DIVISION. 

INVITED      GUESTS    OF      THE      MERIDEN 
FIFE    AND    DRUM    CORPS. 

19th  Separate  Co.,  Fife,  Drum  and  Bugle 
corps     Poughkeepsie,   N.   Y. 

Cathedral  Father  Matthew  Drum  corps, 
Springfield,   Mass. 

Sacred  Heart  2nd  Regt.  Drum  corps, 
Springfield,    Mass. 

Father    Matthew's    Drum    corps,    Hartford. 

Red   Men's   Drum  corps.   New   London. 

Blue    Ribbon    Drum   corps,    Bridgeport. 

H.    G.    Hubbard   Drum   Corps,    Middletown. 

East  Hampton  Drum  corps.  East  Hampton. 

Derby  Drum  corps.  Derby. 

Moodus   Drum   corps,   Moodus. 

Bethel    Drum   corps,    Danbury. 

St.    Mary's   Drum  corps,   Derby. 

Boys'  Club  Drum  corps,  Meriden. 

PRIZES. 
All  drum  corps  present  will  be  judged  on 
line  of  march  for  prizes  as  follows  : 
Best  appearing  corps  in  line. 
Most    ancient    appearing   corps   in    line. 
Best  appearing  drum  major  in  line. 

GRAND  BALL  AND  COMPETITIVE  DRILL 
Auditorium  at  8   p.   m. 

Grand  concert  by  Lyon  &  Keegan's  full 
orchestra   followed   by   grand  march. 

Competitive  fancy  drill  and  baton  swing- 
ing contest. 

Ball   to   continue   until   after   midnight. 

OFFICERS    OF    STATE    ASSOCIATION. 
G.    C.   Hadock,   Hartford,   president. 
F.    J.      Westline,    Bridgeport,      first      vice 
president. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


39 


J.  B.  Feldhouse,  Meriden.  second  vice 
president. 

L.  E.  Pratt,  Deep  River,  recording  and 
financial   secretary. 

EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE. 

G.  E.  Spencer,  Plainville,  Chairman. 

J.  B.  Feldhouse,  Meriden. 

F.    J.   Westline,   Bridgeport. 

J.    I.    Ward,    Middletown. 

H.    H.   Phillips,   Greenwich. 

Officers  of  Meriden  Fife  and  Drum  corps — 
W.  F.  Feldhouse,  leader ;  A.  M.  Duncan, 
fife    corporal  ;    C.    Middleton,    drum    sergeant. 

General  Committee  of  Arrangements — J. 
B.  Feldhouse,  chairman ;  C.  L.  Heckler,  E. 
A.   Everard. 

Sub-committee  on  Souvenirs  and  Pro- 
gramme— W.  F.  Feldhouse,  chairman  ;  W.  J. 
Brunell,   A.    M.    Duncan. 

Ladies'  Reception  Committee — Mrs.  C.  L. 
Heckler,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Feldhouse,  Miss  Kathryn 
McLaughlin,  Miss  Agnes  Feldhouse,  Miss 
Annie  Tresselt,  Miss  Margaret  McLaughlin, 
Miss  Anna  Driscoll,  Miss  Bertha  Tresselt, 
Miss  Margaret  Watts,  Miss  Anna  Beaty, 
Miss  Pauline  Dubord,  Miss  Bertha  Lippold, 
Miss  Pearl  Goss,  Miss  Lizzie  Driscoll,  Miss 
Nellie  Scott,  Miss  Katherine  Donahue,  Miss 
Katherine  Russell  Miss  Catherine  Curtin, 
Miss  Mary  Everard  Miss  Kittle  Maney,  Miss 
Marie  Lynch,  Mrs.  E.  Newbaum,  Miss  May 
Feldhouse,  Miss  Nellie  Driscoll,  Miss  Kitty 
English,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Brunell,  Miss  Annie 
Cook,  Miss  Julia  Fallon,  Miss  Annie  Dulick. 
Miss   Katherine    Walsh. 

LIST   OF   PRIZES. 

For  best  appearing  corps  tn  line — A 
large  red  satin  banner,  compliments  of  D. 
Klien   &   Bro. 

For  best  appearing  drum  major  in  line — 
A  large  black  fur  drum  major's  shako, 
compliments   of   a   friend. 

For  most  ancient  appearing  corps  in  line 
— A   hand   decorated   tobacco   jar. 

First  prize,  modern  fife  and  drum  corps — 
Silver  prize  cup,  presented  by  Factory  E„ 
I.   S.   C. 


Second  prize,  modern  fife  and  drum  corps 
— Pair  bronze  figures,  "Game  of  Grace," 
presented    by    Bradley    &    Hubbard    Mfg.    Co. 

First  prize,  ancient  fife  and  drum  corps — 
Silver  loving  cup,  presented  by  Factory  A, 
I.   S.   C. 

Second  prize,  ancient  fife  and  drum  corps 
— Silver  trumpet,  presented  by  Carl  Fischer 
Co.,    New   York. 

First  prize,  flute  and  piccolo  band — Prize 
cup,  presented  by  Factory  N,  I.   S.   C. 

Second  prize,  flute  and  piccolo  band — Prize 
cup,   presented  by  Silver  City  Plate  Co. 

First  prize,  drum  corps  without  fifes — 
Street  snare  drum,  presented  by  F.  E.  Dodge 
Co.,    Boston. 

First  prize,  fancy  drilling  by  corps — Gold 
mounted,  hand  decorated,  loving  vase,  pre- 
sented by   C.    F.    Monroe  Co. 

First  prize,  individual  snare  drumming — 
Polished  oak,  silver  mounted  and  lined 
cigar  box.   gift  of  Charles  Parker  Co. 

Second  prize,  individual  snare  drumming: 
— Silver  cup. 

First  prize,  individual  bass  drumming — 
Gentleman's  English  cigar  case  and  bill 
book,    gift  of  E.   A.    Bliss   Co. 

Second  prize,  individual  bass  drumming — 
Pair  of  engraved  silver  napkin  rings,  gift 
of  Wilbur   B.    Hall. 

First  prize,  individual  fife,  ancient  class — 
Thirty-eight  calibre  revolver,  gift  of  Meri- 
den Fire  Arms  Co. 

Second  prize,  individual  flfe,  ancient  class 
- — Silver  pepper  and  salt  cellars,  gift  of 
Wilber    Co. 

First  prize,  individual  fife,  modern  class 
— Set  of  silver  knives  and  forks,  gift  of 
Factory  H.   I.    S.   C. 

Second  prize,  individual  fife,  modern  claes 
— Silver  cup. 

First  prize,  individual  piccolo — Pair  of 
hand  decorated  Mellen  vases,  gift  of  P.  J. 
Handel    Co. 

Second  prize,  individual  piccolo — Silver 
cup. 

First  prize,  best  drum  major  baton 
swinging — All  metal  drum  major's  baton, 
gift  of  C.   M.    Lilley  Co.,   Columbus,   Ohio. 

Second    prize,    baton    swinging — Medal. 


PARADES  FOR  THE  WEEK 


MONDAY,  JUNE  H 


SOUTHERN   NEW  ENGLAND  TURN- 
FEST. 

9  a.  m. — Assemble  at  Turner  hall,  Pratt 
street.      Formation   on    Pratt   street. 

Route  of  march :  Pratt  to  East  Main, 
to  Willow,  countermarch  on  East  Main  to 
Colony,  to  Washington,  countermarch  on 
Colony  to  West  Main,  to  Capitol  avenue,  to 
Schuetzen  Park. 

ORDER    OF    FORMATION. 

Marshal,    Oscar   Funke- 

Meriden    City    Band. 

State  Officers. 


Judges. 

Hartford  Turner  Society. 

Holyoke  Turner  Society. 

Rockville   Turner   Society. 

Waterbury  Vorwaerts  Turner  Society. 

New  Britain  Turner  Society. 

New   Haven   Turner  Society. 

Meriden    Turner    Society. 

Meriden  Rifle  Club. 

Meriden  Saengerbund. 

Cosmopolitan  Club. 
Lyra   Singing  Society. 
Meriden    Lodge,    D.    O.    H. 
Harmonia  Lodge,  O.  D.  H.  S. 
Teutonia    Lodge.    I.    O.    O.    F. 
Court  Schiller,  F.  of  A. 
Workingmen's  Sick  and     Death     Benefit  So- 
ciety. 
German  Mutual  Aid   Society. 
Alsace-Lorraine  Society. 


40 


ClixVTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


GERMAN    CATHOLIC   STATE   ASSO- 
CIATION. 

1  p.  m. — Assemble  and  form  on  State 
street  opposite  International  Silver  Co.   oflBce 

Route  of  march :  State  to  East  Main,  to 
West  Main,  to  Butler,  to  Hanover,  to  Ter- 
race  Garden    and   dismiss. 

ORDER  OF  FORMATION. 

Marshal,  John   F.   Morenz. 

Platoon   of   Police. 

Meriden   Military   Band. 

State    Officers. 

Representatives  and  members  of  association. 

St.  Bonifacius  Society. 


CIVIC    AND    INDUSTRIAL    PARADE. 

1 :30  p.  m. — Assemble  at  City  Park. 
Formation  on  Camp  street  and  Bunker  ave- 
Bue. 

Route  of  march :  Center  to  Pratt,  to 
Broad,  to  East  Main,  to  West  Main,  to 
North  First,  countermarch  on  West  Main, 
to  Colony,  to  Wilcox  avenue,  countermarch 
on  Colony,  to  Camp,  to  Center  and  dismiss. 

ORDER  OF  FORMATION. 

Marshal. 

Mounted  Cavalcade,  George  L.  Clark,  leader. 

Aides :      Capt.      C.    B.    Bowen,      Capt.      G.    E. 

Proudman,    Capt.    Joseph   DeCantillon, 

Julius  Augur,  John  H.  McMahon, 

H.    E.    Hubbard. 

Police   Escort. 

Band. 

Myrtle  Lodge  4,  K.  of  P.,.    Chancellor  John 

Kay,   commanding. 

Band. 

Ancient     Order'  of     Hibernians  and     invited 

guests. 
Division  1,   John  H.   McMahon,   commanding. 

Division   2,   Robert   Lodge,   commanding. 
Division   3,   Dr.   O.   D.   Flannagan,   command- 
ing. 
Band. 
T.    A.    B.    Society,      John      F.    Penders,    com- 
manding. 
Band. 
Meriden   Lodge,   B.   P.   O.   E.,   and  guests,   E. 
L.   K.,   Daniel   Donovan,   commanding. 
Band. 
Silver  City  Council,   K.  of  C,   G.   H.,   Henry 
Cashen,  commanding. 
Band. 
Patriotic   Sons   of     America,      Meriden,    New 
Haven  and  other  societies.   Col.   S.    E. 
Crocker,   commanding. 
Band. 
Meriden   Aerie  of   Eagles. 
East  Side  Social  Club. 
Band 
Silver  City  Lodge,  I.  O.  A.  B.,   L.  Friedman, 

commanding. 
Meriden     Lodge.     276,  D.  O.  H.,      Carl  Diel, 
commanding. 
Meriden    Rifle   Club 
Christopher      Columbus      Society,    Pres.    Al- 
fred   Muzzle,    commanding. 
Victor    Immanuel,    3,    Society. 
Order   of   Modern   Woodmen. 
Dolbec   Camp,    Order    Modern   Woodmen. 
St.  Jean  Baptiste  Society,  Wilbrod 
L'Heureaux,    Commanding 
St.    Laurent's  T.    A.    B.   Society 
Italian  Protective  Society,  E.  Tomasetti, 
Marshal. 


POLISH    DIVISION. 

Kosciusko    Society    Band 

Twenty     Men 

John    Klotc,    Leader. 

Society   Recearcz,   M.    B.    C.   Z. 

Sixty    Men 

Capt.     John    Zydkiewcizy,     Commanding 

St.    Stanislaus   Church    Society 

Fifty   Men 

Michael   Ferren,    President 

White    Eagle    Society 

120    Men 

Waltey    Malywajek,    President 

St.    Stanislaus    Branch,    No.    655 

Eighty-five    Men 

Barnslaw   Markoweski,    President 

Society    Poluskie    Drum    Corps 

Twenty     Men 

Leader,    Szilewa 

Society    Cokol    Pol. 

Forty    Men 

Stanislaw    Truaniecki,    President 

Society    Peter    and    Paul,    Branch    491 

Twenty-four     Men 

Joseph    Pichnarcik,    President 

Armour's    Champion    Team    of    Horses,    with 

Attendants. 

Colt's     Band    of    Hartford. 

Veteran   Firemen's   Association   and      Invited 

Guests. 

Veteran   Companies   of   Hartford,   with    Band. 

New   London   Veterans   and   the  Active   Hook 

&    Ladder   Company   of   New    London. 

Band. 

Eagle    Hose    Co.,    Ansonia,    75    Men 

Band. 

Meriden    Fire      Department,    Chief      W.      C. 

Lucas,      commanding,    and      Assistant 

Chief    Jerome    Bailey. 

Fire    Companies,      regular      department    and 

volunteers,    with    apparatus. 

Other  organizations  to  be  assigned  as  they 

arrive. 

INDUSTRIAL    DIVISION 
TO    FORM    FOLLOWING    CIVIC    PARADE. 


TUESDAY,  JUNE  J2 


SOUTHERN  NEW  ENGLAND 
SCHUETZENBUND. 

9  a.  m. — Assemble  on  State  street,  near 
depot.      Formation  on   State  street. 

Route  of  march  :  State  to  East  Main,  to 
West  Main,  to  Capitol  Avenue,  to  Schuetzen 
Park  and  dismiss. 

ORDER   OF   FORMATION. 

Marshal,    Gotlieb    Anschuetz. 

Police    Escort. 

Band. 

Companies  I  and  L,  C.  N.  G. 

New    Haven    Schuetzen    Verein 

Taftville   Germania    Schuetzen   Verein 

New   Britain   Schuetzen   Verein 

Hartford   Rifle   Club. 

Springfield  Schuetzen  Verein. 

Meriden   Rifle  Club. 


10:30  A.  M.,  AUTOMOBILE  PARADE. 

Assemble  and  form  at  City  Parle. 

Route    of      march :      Camp    to    Colony,    to 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


41 


^West  Main,  to  Linsley  avenue,  to  Hanover, 
to  Main,  to  Pratt,  to  Broad,  to  Curtis, 
countermarch  on  South  Broad,  to  E3ast 
Main,    to    Colony,    to    Britannia    and    dismiss. 

ORDER    OF      FORMATION. 

Marshal,   Dr.   F.   L.   Murdock. 

Aides,   Dr.   T.   S.   Rust,  W.   F.    Parker. 

First    Division — Runabouts. 

Second    Division — Touring    Cars. 

PRIZES. 

For  the  first,  second  and  third  best  dec- 
orated automobiles. 

Judges — Mr.  L.  E.  Savage,  W.  H.  A. 
Maynard,  F.  E.  Sands. 

ENTRANCE    FEES. 

For  decorated  cars,  $2. 
For  undecorated  cars,  $1. 
Out  of  town  cars,   no  fee. 

COMMITTEE. 

Dr.  F.  L.  Murdock,  Chairman  ;  I.  L.  Holt, 
Secretary ;  Walter  A.  King,  W.  F.  Parker, 
Dr.   H.   A.   Meeks. 


G.  A.  R.  PARADE. 

4  p.  m. — Assemble  at  City  Hall.  Forma- 
tion on  Main,  Norwood,  Liberty  and  Cat- 
lin.  the  right  resting  on   Catlin  street. 

Route  of  march  :  East  Main  to  Colony, 
Colony  to  opposite  State  School,  counter- 
march on  Colony,  to  West  Main,  to  But- 
ler, countermarch  on  West  Main,  to  East 
Main,  to  Pratt,  to  Center  and  dismiss. 

ORDER  OF  FORMATION. 

Marshal,      Department      Commander      A.    A. 

May  and   staff. 

Police    Escort. 

Band. 

Department        posts,        according      to      Post 

numbers. 

Merriam   Post,    No.   8. 


WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  13 


LABOR   DAY  PARADE. 

10  :.30  a.  m. — Assemble  at  City  Park. 
Formation  on  Camp  street,  right  resting 
corner   Center   street. 

Route  of  march :  Camp  to  Center,  to 
Pratt,  to  Catlin,  to  East  Main,  to  Colony,  to 
Camp,  countermarch  on  Colony,  to  West 
Main,  to  North  First,  to  Hanover,  to  Ter- 
race Garden  and  dismiss. 

ORDER    OF    FORMATION. 

FIRST  DIVISION  : 

Marshal,    George    .j.    Stanley. 
Aides,    Wm.    Fitzgerald,    Henry    Kline,    Mor- 
ris   Sullivan,    Albert    P.    Dossin. 
Police   Escort. 
Meriden    Military    Band 
Carpenters   nfld    Joiners 
Painters 
Plumbers 
Bricklayers  and  Masons 
Building   Laborers 
Electrical    Workers 
Sheet    Metal    Workers 


SECOND    DIVISION. 
Meriden   City   Band 

Cigarmakers 

Typographical    Union 

Buffers  and   Polishers 

Bartenders 

Meat    Cutters 

Barbers 

Brewery    Workers 

Printing    Pressmen      v 

Bakers 

Retail   Clerks 

Stereotypers 

Street  Railway  Employes 

Musical    Union 

Teamsters 
Brass    Moulders 
The    Third    division    will    consist    of    dele- 
gations from  Hartford,  New  Haven,  Walling- 
ford,    Danbury,    Bridgeport,    Middletown    and 
other  cities. 


THURSDAY,  JUNE  14 

STATE  DRUM  CORPS  ASSOCIATION 

10  :30  a.  m. — Assembly  at  City  Park. 
Formation  on  Franklin  street.,  right  resting 
on  Camp  street. 

Route  of  march :  Camp  to  Center,  to 
Colony,  to  West  Main,  to  Butler,  counter- 
march on  West  Main  street  to  East  Main 
street,  to  Broad,  to  Liberty,  to  East  Main, 
to  Pratt,  dismissed  on  Pratt  street. 


MILITARY   PARADE. 

1 :30  p.  m. — Assembly  at  City  Park. 
Formation  on  Camp  and  Bunker  avenue. 

Route  of  march :  Camp  to  Pratt,  to 
Broad,  to  East  Main,  to  West  Main,  to 
Linsley  avenue,  countermarch  on  West 
Main  to  Colony,  to  Wilcox  avenue,  counter- 
march on  Colony  to  Camp,  to  Center  and 
dismiss. 

ORDER  OF  FORMATION. 

Escort  of  Police. 
Second   Regiment   Band. 
Col.  James  Geddes  and  Staff. 
Second     Regiment     Conn.    National     Guard, 
12   Companies. 
Meriden  City  Band. 
Brigadier  Gen'l.  Joseph  S.   Stokes  and  Staff, 
Connecticut   Brigade,    U.    R.    K.    P.,   2nd 
Regiment.       Col.  G.  R.  Tryon,  com- 
manding   (11    companies). 
First    Regiment,    Col.    H.    C.    Osborne,    com- 
manding   (12   companies). 
United     Spanish     War     Veterans,     Dept.     of 
Conn.,        Frederick        Breckbill        of 
Bridgeport,    Dept    Commander. 


FRIDAY,  JUNE  15 


PUTNAM  PHALANX  PARADE. 

1  p.  m. — Assembly  on  State  street  near 
depot.         Formation    on    State    street. 

Route  of  march :  State  to  East  Main, 
to  Norwood,  to  Liberty,  to  East  Main,  to 
West  Main,  to  Linsley  avenue,  counter- 
march on   West  Main  to   Colony,   to  opposite 


42 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


State    School,    countermarch    on    Colony    to 
Winthrop  Hotel  and  dismiss. 

ORDER    OF    FORMATION. 

Escort  of  Police. 

Band. 

Putnam    Phalanx,    Col.    Mahl,    commanding. 


SATURDAY,  JUNE  J  6 

STATE  SAENGERBUND  PARADE. 

9   a.   m. — Assembly    at   Saengerbund   Hall, 
State  street        Formation   on  State  street. 


Route  of  march :  State  to  Cross  street 
to  Colony,  to  West  Main,  to  Linsley  avenue 
to  Hanover,  to  Columbus  avenue,  to  Ter 
race   Garden   and   dismiss. 

ORDER    OF    FORMATION 

American  Band  of  Waterbury. 

Marshal. 

Connecticut  Volksfest  Vereln. 

W^llingford    Eintracht 

Waterbury     Lyra. 

New    Britain    Teutonla    Maennerchor. 

Meriden    Saengerbund. 

New    Haven,    Bridgeport,    Ansonia    Societies 


MUSICAL  PROGRAMME  FOR  WEEK 


Concerts  daily  at  10  a.  m..  2  p.  m.  and 
8  p.  m.  by  Rounds'  Ladies'  Orchestra  and 
Concert  Co.,  at  Monufacturers  and  Varied 
Arts'   exposition   at  Hanover   park. 

SUNDAY,   .TUNE   10. 

Morning — Special  musical  services  in  all 
churches. 

Afternoon — Special  musical  programme 
by  united  church  quartettes  of  city  at  union 
services    at    First    Congregational    church. 

Evening — Sacred  concert  at  Turner  hall. 
Concert  at  St.  Mary's  church  at  German 
Catholic    convention. 

MONDAY,    JUNE    11. 

Afternoon — Concert  by  City  band  at 
Schuetzen  park. 

Evening — Concert  by  Military  band  at 
corner    East    Main    and    Broad    streets. 

TUESDAY,  JUNE  12. 
Evening — Concert  by  City  band  at  Crown 
street  square. 

WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  13. 

Afternoon — Concert  by  City  band  at  Ter- 
race   Garden. 

Evening — Concert  by  Military  band  at 
Terrace    Garden. 

Evening — Centennial  concert  at  First 
Methodist    church. 

THURSDAY,    JUNE    14. 

Afternoon — Drummers'  contests  at  Han- 
over  park. 

Evening — Drummers'  contest  at  auditor- 
ium. 

Evening — Concert  by  City  band  at  cor- 
ner Randolph  avenue  and  West  Main  street. 

FRIDAY,    JUNE    15. 

Evening — Concert  by  Bayne's  69th  Regi- 
ment  band   at   Colonial   ball. 

Evening — Concert  by  Hill's  orchestra  at 
Colonial   ball. 

SATURDAY,   JUNE   16. 

Afternoon — Concert  by  American  band 
of    Waterbury    at    Terrace    Garden. 

Afternoon — Concert  by  Saengefest  at 
Terace    Garden. 

Evening — Concert  by  Military  band  at 
Winthrop   square,   Colony   street. 


SOUTHERN      NEW      ENGLAND 
SCHUETZENFEST. 

TUESDAY    AND    WEDNESDAY,    JUNE    12 

AND    13. 

TARGET   OF  HONOR 

Open  to  Members  of  the  Bund  Only. 

Three  shots  German  Ring  Target,  200 
yards.  Bund  Tules  to  govern.  Tickets  $1.50. 
Entries  to  be  made  in  advance  to  Secretary 
Robert   Philippe. 

First  prize.  King  Medal  and  Diploma. 

Other  numerous   and   valuable   prizes. 

Target  of  Honor  to  close  at  3  p.  m.,  sharp 
Wednesday. 

LADIES'  TARGET  OF  HONOR. 

Open    to    Ladies    of    the    Bund    Only. 

German  Ring  Target,  200  yards,  muzzle 
rest  Tickets  50  cents  for  three  shots,  to  be 
remitted  in  advance  to  Secretary  Robert 
Phillippe. 

Numerous  and  valuable  prizes. 

LADIES'  GENERAL  PRIZE  TARGET. 

German  Ring  Target  200  yards,  muzzle 
rest.  Three  shot  ticket  25  cents.  Entries 
unlimited.     Best  two   tickets  to   count. 

Numerous  and  valuable  prizes. 

GENERAL    PRIZE    TARGET. 

German  Ring  Target,  200  yards  off-hand. 
Tickets,  three  shots,  50  cents.  Best  three 
tickets  to  count  All  ties  divide.  Entries 
unlimited.  Each  shooter  must  have  his  three 
best  tickets  recorded  when  shot,  they  are 
otherwise  void. 


PRIZE    LIST. 


1st 
2d 
3d 
4th 
5th 
6th 
7  th 
8th 
9th 
10th 


prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 
prize 


$40.00 

30.00 

25.00 

20.00 

15.00 

12.00 

10.00 

9.00 

8.00 

7.00 


11th  prize 

12th  prize 

13th  prize 

14th  prize 

15th  prize 

16th  prize 

17th  prize 

ISth  prize 

19th  prize 

20th  prize 


$6.00 
5.00 
5.00 
4.00 
4.00 
3.00 
3.00 
2.00 
2.00 
2.00 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


43 


Peemtums   First  Day  for  Best  Three 
Tickets. 

1st  prize      $6.00 

2d    prize    4.00 

3d    prize    2.00 

CENTENNIAL    REST    TARGET. 

German  Ring  Target,  200  yards,  muzzle 
rest.  Tickets  three  shots  for  50  cents.  Best 
two  ticliets  to  count.  All  ties  divide.  Entries 
unlimited.  Each  shooter  must  have  his  two 
best  tickets  recorded  when  shot.,  they  are 
otherwise  void. 

Prize  List. 


1st  prize 
2d  prize 
3d  prize 
4th  prize 
5th  prize 


$10.00 
8.00 
6.00 
5.00 
4.00 


6th  prize 
7th  prize 
8th  prize 
9th  prize 
10th   prize 


BULL'S-EYE    TARGET. 


$3.00 
2.00 
2.00 
1.00 
1.00 


200  yards  off-hand.  Entries  unlimited. 
2  1-2  inch  bull's-eye  in  12  inch  black.  Tick- 
ets,   10  shots   for  $1.00. 

Prize   List. 

50   cents   paid   for   each   bull's-eye   shot. 
$1.00   paid      for  first   and     last   bull's-eye 
each  day. 

$3.00  most  bull's-eyes. 

$2.00   second   most  bull's-eyes. 

$1.00  third  most  bull's-eyes. 

MILITARY    CENTENNIAL   TARGET. 

200  yards  off-hand.  Entries  unlimited. 
German  Ring  Target  2  1-2  inch  bulls-eye, 
from  1  to  25.  Tickets,  three  shots  for  25 
cents,  two  best  tickets  to  count.  All  best 
tickets  must  be  recorded  by  the  secretary ; 
they  are  otherwise  void.  Open  to  all  mili- 
tary men  only.  Regulation  military  and 
army  sights  allowed.  Gold  and  silver  med- 
als and  other  prizes  will  be  awarded. 


SHOOTING  HOURS. 

n.,    to    12  ;    1    p. 


to 


Tuesday,    10    a. 
7  p.  m. 

Wednesday,  8.30  a.  m.,  to  12  ;  1  p.  m.,  to 
6  :30  p.   m. 

Except  target  of  honor  which  closes  at  3. 

Members  of  the  bund  will  bear  in  mind 
not  to  wait  until  the  last  minute  to  shoot  on 
the  Target  of  Honor.  All  targets  open  to 
all  comers,  excepting  Targets  of  Honor  and 
Military   Target. 

A  prize  will  be  given  for  the  largest 
Uniform    Schuetzen    company    in    line. 

COMMITTEE    OF   ARRANGEMENTS. 

E.   H.   Kroeber,   Chairman. 

Robert  Phillippi,   Secretary. 

G.  Anschuetz,   Shooting  Master. 

Chris.  Glasnapp,  F.  Anschuetz,  A. 
Oeflnger,  Julius  Kuntze,  Max  Stroebel,  C. 
F.    Fox. 


FIREWORKS    FOR    WEEK. 

MONDAY,  JUNE  11. 
Display    at    Hanover    park. 

TUESDAY.  JUNE  12. 
Display    at    Hanover    Park. 


WEDNESDAY,     JUNE     13. 

Display    at    Terrace    Garden,    by    Central 
Labor    Union. 

THURSDAY,    JUNE    14. 
Display     at    Hanover    Park. 

FRIDAY,     JUNE     15. 
Display    at     Hanover    Park. 

SATURDAY    .JUNE    16. 
Display    at    Hanover    Park. 


STATE    SAENGERFEST. 

AT     TERRACE     GARDEN, 

SATURDAY,    JUNE    16. 

Arrival  of  visiting  societies  in  the  morn 
ing.  Headquarters  at  Saengerbund  hall 
State    street. 

Parade  9  a.  m.  Form  on  State  street, 
headed  by  American  band,  of  Waterbury. 
Cross  to  Colony,  to  West  Main,  to  Linsley 
avenue,  to  Hanover,  to  Columbus  avenue,  to 
Terrace  Garden. 

The  following  societies  will  participate: 
The  Connecticut  Volksfest  Verein,  Walling- 
ford  Eintracht,  Waterbury  Lyra,  New  Brit- 
ain Teutonia  Maennerchor,  Meriden  Saen- 
gerbund. also  societies  from  New  Haven, 
Bridgeport  and  Ansonia. 

AFTERNOON. 

In  the  afternoon  the  societies  of  the  asso- 
ciataion  will  enter  into  a  singing  contest, 
without  the  awarding  of  prizes,  which  is 
considered  to  be  detrimental  to  the  good 
feeling  and  friendship  among  the  societies 
by  the  Bund. 

The  numbers  rendered  at  this  contest 
will  be : 

1 — Heimatsrosen    A.  Opladen 

Wallingford   Eintracht. 

2 — Mein  Lied   G.  Angerer 

Waterbury  Lyra. 

3 — Im   Grasse    M.    Spicker 

New  Britain  Teutonia  Maennerchor. 

4 — Rheinische    Brautfahrt    F.    Ullrich 

Meriden   Saengerbund. 

Afterwards  all  the  societies  will  combine 
and   render  : 

1 — Muttersprache    F.  Hegar 

2 — Landkennung    Ed.   Grieg 

3 — America. 

With    the    accompaniment    of    the    American 
Band. 

Musical  Director  of  the  Association — Prof. 
J.    H.    Keller,   of   Meriden. 


HORSE   RACES 

AT    TJpOTTING    PARK, 
JUNE   12   AND    13,    1906. 
TUESDAY,    JUNE    12. 

2 :35    class     Purse    $200 

2  :22    class     Purse    $200 

2:18     clas     Purse    $200 

WEDNESDAY,    JUNE    13. 

2:30    class     Purse    $200 

2  :30   free  for  all  race    Purse  $200 

5    minute    class    for    local    horses 

75  bushels  of  oat« 


44 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


CONDITIONS. 

N.  T.  A.  rules  to  govera  except  hopples 
•will    not   be   barred. 

Six    to    enter,    five    to    start. 

In  case  classes  do  not  fill  mixed  races  will 
be   made    up    as    follows : 

2  :24   trot  or  pace. 

2  :40  trot  or  pace. 

Same  purses,  entries  accordingly ;  mile 
heats  best  two   in   three. 

Entrance    in    purse    classes    5    per    cent. 

Entries  close  with  entrance  money  on 
June  10  with  the  secretary.  T.  F.  McCar- 
thy,   223    Pratt    street,    Meriden.    Conn. 

Purses   paid   at   wire. 


sumed  and  various  votes  passed.  Proposal 
of  five  mill  tax  awakens  opposition  but  mo- 
tion prevails.  Peck  remembers.  Parson 
Ripley's   words. 


REPRODUCTION         FIRST         TOWN 
MEETING    OF    MERIDEN 

HELD    JUNE    16,     1806, 

AT     AUDITORIUM     OF     TOWN     HALL, 

SATURDAY,     JUNE     16.     1906. 

Dr.    Ensign   Hough    Dr.    G.   A.   Hill 

Moses   Barns    Waldemar  C.  Hirschfeld 

Amos   White,   Town   Clerk    

Rev.    A.    W.    Shaw 

George  W.  Stanley,  Moderator 

Hugh    F.   Hagarty 

Giles  O.  Griswold    William  C.   Brown 

Absalom  Royce Albert  A.   Gustine 

Hezekiah   Prindle    Frank  L.   Burleigh 

Rev.  Erastus  Ripley    .  .    Sherman  F.   Johnson 

Herodotus    Peck    Arthur    W.    Taylor 

Jehu    Preston    Charles   M.   Glantz 

Deacon   Mitchell    Henry    L.    Carpenter 

Dr.    Isaac      Hough,      son   of      Dr.      Ensign 
Hough    Willis  J.   Prouty 

Electors  present  at  meeting — H.  D.  Bee- 
be.  William  R.  Smith,  Fred.  S.  Hitchcock, 
Albert  R.  Chamberlain,  Alfred  B.  Savage, 
Herbert  Billian,  August  H.  Riecke  Ed- 
ward D.  Bradstreet,  Nelson  C.  Johnson, 
Stanley  ,White,  Dwight  Ives,  Stanley  Lynn, 
Clifford  'Parsons,  Charles  Phelps,  Edw.  T. 
Joel.  Walter  L.  Immich,  Leroy  W.  Gar- 
diner, Samuel  McNabb,  John  B.  Dunlop, 
Herbert  C.  May,  Edwin  E.  Gibson,  Theo- 
dore Weber,  Harold  Spencer  Ed.  L. 
Montgomery,  E.  M.  Ives,  Ed.  Hart,  Pom- 
eroy  Wilcox,  H.  Burdette  Evarts,  Oliver 
R.  McCarthy,  Jr.,  Burton  R.  Miller,  William 
Wear,    Lewis    E.    Wood    and    Albert   Graham. 

SYNOPSIS    OF   TOWN    MEETING. 

Preliminary — Electors  gather  for  meet- 
ing. Moses  Barns  views.  He  objects  to  Wal- 
lingford  man  for  moderator.  Discussion 
of  current  events,  local  and  national. 
Barns  expresses  antipathy  to  Dr.  Hough  and 
"the   whole   Hough    tribe". 

The  Meeting — Meeting  called  to  order  by 
Moderator  George  W,  Stanley,  of  Walling- 
ford.  Amos  White  reads  the  General  As- 
sembly's resolution  incorporating  the  town  of 
Meriden.  Herodotus  Peck's  unsophisticated 
views.  Propriety  of  wearing  hats  in  meet- 
ing discussed  and  matter  decided.  Dr. 
Hough's  offer  of  tavern  for  meeting  place 
brings  forth  caustic  comment  from  Barns. 
Dr.  Hough's  patriotic  speech.  Peck  forgets. 
Absalom  Royce  emits  eloquence.  Election  of 
town  officers.  Barns  disciplined.  Heze- 
kiah Prindle's  solemn  thoughts.   Election  re- 


COLONIAL  BALL 

AT    AUDITORIUM    OF    TOWN    HALL. 

FRIDAY,    JUNE    15. 

Guests  : — Putnam  Phalanx  and  ladies. 
Hartford,    Conn. 

Reception  to  Putnam  Phalanx  and  ladies 
and  concert  by  Hill's  Orchestra  of  25  pieces 
from  8  to  8  :30  o'clock. 

ORCHESTRA  PROGRAMME. 

1 — Coronation      March      from     Opera     of 

Folkunger    Kretschmer 

2 — (a)    Roses    Bendix 

(b)    Sorella    Ch.  Borel-Clero 

3 — Tone  Poem,  "Apple  Blossoms"  K.  Roberts 

BAND    PROGRAMME. 

Concert  by  Bayne's  Renowned  69th  Regi- 
ment  Band    of  New  York,   8:30  to  9:30. 

1 — Overture,  Raymond    Thomas 

2 — Morceau    Characteristique      Whispering 

Flowers    Von   Blon 

3 — Pilgrims    Chorus    and    Romanza,    from 

Tannhauser    Wagner 

4 — Flute  Solo Selected 

Performed  by  Mr.   G.   C.   Stanzione. 
5 — Grand  Fantasia,  American 

'Victor  Herbert 

Dancing  from  9  :30  to  3  a.  m.  Orchestra 
and  Band  alternating. 

Supper  served  from  10  :30  to  1 :30.  W.  H. 
A.   Maynard,   Caterer. 

Minuet  by  Putnam  Phalanx  and  ladies  at 
11:30. 

Reception  Committee — J.  H.  Hinsdale, 
chairman  ;  C.  E.  Stockder,  jr.,  Robert 
G.  Church,  George  OhI,  Howard  L.  Steven- 
son, I.  Burton  Miller,  J.  F.  McDonnell,  Cor- 
nelius Cahill,  jr.,  Chas.  W.  Clock,  Fred  Bil- 
lard,  Wm.  E.  Hinsdale,  Waldemar  C. 
Hirschfeld,  Arthur  D.  Meeks,  Geo.  H,  Yea- 
mans,  J.  A.  Roberge.  Howard  R.  Curtis, 
George  M.  Curtis,  Herman  Hess,  Francis 
Atwater,  Wilbur  F.  Davis,  Chas.  F.  Monroe. 
Dr.  E.  T.  Bradstreet,  E.  J.  Doolittle,  Geo. 
W.  Couch,  Mayor  T.  L.  Reilly,  Dexter  L. 
Bishop,  Jas.  H.  White,  Wm.  A.  Kelsey, 
Clarence  P.  Bradley,  Geo.  W.  Miller,  Chas. 
H.  Tredennick,  Frank  E.  Sands,  H.  Wales 
Lines,  Jos.  S.  Stokes,  Robt.  W.  Carter,  A. 
Chamberlain,  Geo.  F.  Rogers,  B.  E.  Smith, 
W.  H.  Catlin,  L.  M.  Hubbard,  Frank  S. 
Fay,  Frank  D.  Smith,  Chas.  B.  Bowen,  Mrs. 
Jas.  H.  Hinsdale,  Mrs.  C.  E.  Stockder,  Mrs. 
Geo.  Ohl,  Mrs.  I.  Burton  Miller,  Mrs.  John 
F.  McDonnell,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Clock,  Mrs.  A.  D. 
Meeks,  Mrs.  G.  H.  Yeamans,  Mrs.  G.  M. 
Curtis,  Mrs.  Herman  Hess,  Mrs.  Francis 
Atwater,  Mrs,  Wilbur  F.  Davis,  Mrs.  Chas, 
F.  Monroe,  Mrs.  E.  T.  Bradstreet,  Mrs 
Geo.  W.  Couch,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Roberge,  Mrs.  T. 
L.  Reilly,  Mrs.  J.  H.  White,  Mrs.  W,  A 
Kelsey,  Mrs.  Geo.  W.  Miller,  Mrs.  C.  H 
Tredennick,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Sands,  Mrs.  H. 
Wales  Lines,  Mrs.  J.  S.  Stokes,  Mrs.  A. 
Chamberlain,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Smith,  Mrs.  W. 
H.  Catlin,  Mrs.  L.  M.  Hubbard,  Mrs.  P.  S. 
Fay,    Mrs.    F.    D.    Smith,    Mrs.    C.    B.    Bowen, 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


45 


CENTENNIAL  CONCERT 

AT     FIRST     METHODIST     CHURCH^     8     P.     M. 

WEDNESDAY,  JUNE  13. 

Chorus  of  150  singers.  Mr.  G.  Frank 
Goodale,  Director. 

Orchestra  selected  from  the  Meriden  Sym- 
phony Orchestra. 

PART    FIRST. 

Music  of  the  Present  Time. 

1 — Overture     to     "Zampa" Herold 

2 — Hallelujah  Chorus,  "Mount  of 
Olives"    Beethoven 

3 — Glee,  "Stars-  of  the  Summer  Night" 
G.    F.    Goodale 

4 — Sextette,  What  From  Vengeance  Yet 
Restrains  Me,  "Lucia  di  Lammermoor" 
Donizetti 

5 — Chorus,  When  Spring  Comes  Laugh- 
ing        Faning 

6 — Anthem,    The    Lord    Himself    

F.   T.   Southwick 

PART   SECOND. 

Music    of    the    Olden    Time. 

1 — Overture,   Medley    Stephen   Foster 

2 — Auld  Lang  Syne    

By  Chorus  and  Congregation. 
3 — Anthem,   Strike  the  Cymbal    .  .  .    Pucitta 
4 — Dost   thou    Love   Me.    Sister  Ruth    .  .  . 

Parry 

5 — Anthem,      Before      Jehovah's    Awful 

Throne    Madan 

6 — Song,   Old  Folks  at  Home    Foster 

7 — Song,    Cousin    Jedediah    ....    Thompson 
8 — Hymns  : 

Majesty     Billings 

Portland     Maxim 

9 — Duet,    Reuben,    Reuben. 
10 — Anthem,  Sound  the  Loud  Timbrel    .  .  . 

Avison 

11 — Anthem,  Jerusalem  My  Glorious  Home 

Dr.   Lowell   Mason 

12 — Song,  Centennial  Hymn,   Meriden,   My 

Meriden. 
(To    tune   My   Marvlandt.      Words   by    Thos. 
L.   Reilly. 
Chorus    and    Congregation    to    sing. 


CENTENNLA.L     HYMN. 
L 
One    hundred    years    are    in    the    past, 

Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 
Since    thou    alone    thy    lot    didst    cast, 

Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 
Though    loth    to    leave    thy    mother    town. 
And    on    thy    going    she    did    frown. 
Thy    course    to    thee    hath    brought    renown, 

Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 
IL 
And    now   that    mother    points    with    pride, 

Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 
Lauds    thee    for    thy    progressive    stride, 

Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 


Helps    welcome    thy    returning    sons, 
To    greet    them    with    thee,    swiftly    runs, 
Helps    fire    the    glad    Centennial    guns, 
Meriden  !      My    Meriden  ! 

III. 

There    is    no    stain    upon    thy    shield, 

Meriden  !  My  Meriden  ! 
To  none  in  civic  pride  you  yield 
Meriden  I  My  Meriden  ! 
A  heart  that's  loyal  to  the  core. 
Will  always  keep  thee  to  the  fore. 
Still  greater  things  hast  thou  in  store, 
Meriden  !      My  Meriden  I 

IV. 

Then   let   us    in   these   glorious   days, 

Meriden  !      My   Meriden  ! 
Seek   guidance   true   in   all   thy   ways, 

Meriden  !      My   Meriden  ! 
Ask    Him   who    made   our    Hanging    Hills 
To    keep    us    free    from    strife    and    ills. 
And    lead    us   in    the   path    He    wills, 
Meriden  !      My  Meriden  ! 


TRAIN  SERVICE. 

Trains   leave   Meriden    as   follows : 

For  Hartford,  Springfield,  Boston,  Albany 
and  North :  Express  trains,  1 :39,  4 :36  (to 
Hartford).  10:20,  10:30,  11:27  a.  m.,  1:20 
2:12  4:30,  6:22,  7:35  p.  m.  ;  Accommoda- 
tion trains,  7:19,  8:29  a  m.  ;  1:50,  3:46, 
5:i6  6:38  (to  Hartford),  10:50  p.  m.,  Sun- 
day express  trains  1 :39,  9  :43  a.  m.,  6  :22, 
7  :45  p.  m.  Accommodation  trains,  12  :50, 
6:01,  8  :49,  9  :45  p.  m. 

For  New  Haven  and  New  York :  Ex- 
press trains,  3:55,  7:25,  8:56,  11:31  a.  m., 
12:51,3:18,3:29,5:31  6  :31,  7  :29,  p.m.  Ac- 
commodation trains,  6  :02,  8  :35,  11 :06  a. 
m.,  1:19,  4:11,  6:08,  8:14,  10:43  p.  m. 
Sunday  express  trains,  3  :55  a.  m.,  4 :24, 
6 :31,  7  :29  p.  m.  Accommodation  trains, 
8:04,  10:15,  11:25  a.  m.,  1:21,  10:30  p.  m. 

Boston,  Worcester  and  Providence  via. 
Hartford  and  Willimantic,  10  :30  a.  m.,  4  :30 
p.  m. 

For  Waterbury  (via  Meriden  branch) 
7  :00  a.  m.,  2  :35  p.  m.  For  Middletown 
(via  Meriden  branch)  10:11  a.  m.,  6 :5S 
p.   m. 


ELECTRIC  CAR  SERVICE. 

Electric  cars  for  Wallingford,  connecting 
for  New  Haven  and  the  south  leave  the  cor- 
ner of  West  Main  and  Hanover  on  the  even 
hours   and   half   hours. 

Electric  cars  for  Southington,  connecting 
at  Milldale  with  cars  for  Cheshire  and  Wa- 
terbury ;  at  Lazy  Lane  for  Plainville,  New 
Britain  and  Hartford  and  at  Lake  Com- 
pounce  for  Bristol,  leave  the  corner  of  West 
Main  and  Colony  streets  on  the  even  hour 
and    half    hour. 


46 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


DR.  WILLIAM   S.  JOHNSON, 

AUTHOR  OF  COMMEMORATION   POEM. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN.  47 


COMMEMORATION  POEM 


[Dr.  William  S.  Johnson.] 
Beyond  the  Hanging  Hills  the  sun,  low  sinking, 

Bursts  through  the  fire-brimm'd  cloud  a  blaze  of  light, 
And  far  below,  in  rosy  answer  twinkling, 

Shimmer  the  city  panes  emblazon'd  bright. 

A  moment  shines  that  splendor  swift,  new  tinting 
The  scarf  of  cloud  along  the  western  sky, 

And  like  a  gothic  window,  golden  glinting, 
The  cottage  in  the  valley  makes  reply. 

As  when  at  night  a  castle,  all  aglow 

From  lights  within,  shows  pictur'd  knight  and  dame. 
Bronze  helm  and  red  robe,  and  the  colors  flow 

Like  a  broad  stream  when  marge-lit  bonfires  flame. 

And  the  dead  past  awakens;  so  that  glory, 

Caught  from  the  fire  of  the  red  sun's  last  ray, 

Wakes  and  makes  radiant  for  us  the  story 
Of  all  for  which  we  set  apart  this  day. 

Not  of  the  brazen  helf  those  knights  great-hearted 
Who  reared  their  homes  among  the  forest  trees ; 

An  age  of  golden  toil  that  time  departed. 
When  faith  led  strong  hearts  over  stormy  seas. 

High  hopes  they  had  to  make  the  wild  waste  flower 
And  fill  with  fruit  the  valley  far  and  wide; 

Love  crowned  their  hopes,  and  brought  the  precious  dower 
Of  happiness  in  toiling  side  by  side. 

Daily  the  hamlet  grew,  and  each  day  fairer 
With  gifts  of  God  to  crown  the  newer  age; 

And  in  her  beauty  we  are  each  made  sharer, 
And  joint  possessor  of  that  heritage. 


48  CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 

Still  round  our  valley  sweep  the  hills  unshaken, 
Still  guards  the  highway  where  the  wild  birds  wing 

The   face  rock-graven,   while   fresh   flowers   awaken 
Down  the  long  slopes  with  each  succeeding  spring. 

And  where  the  higher  mountains  tower  o'er  us, 
New  paths  are  found  wherein  our  feet  may  tread, 

There  the  soft  lake  lies  tremulous  before  us, 
Sleeping  and  dreaming  in  its  rocky  bed. 

For  all  the  past  has  brought  us,  we  the  living. 

In  the  ripe  summer  of  prosperity, 
Bring  to  our  fathers  praises  and  thanksgiving. 

And  consecrate  this  day  of  jubilee. 

Naught  that  is  great  is  perfect,  still  are  rising 
New  walls  and  towers ;  whatsoe'er  we  do, 

The  future  still  is  theme  of  our  surmising. 
The  past  is  ever  promise  of  the  new. 

O  trumpet  tongues  with  joyous  songs  upwelling, 
Lift  high  the  hymn  of  triumph  and  of  praise. 

Pour  forth  the  strains  of  sweetest  music  swelling 
Exultant  in  the  pride  of  happy  days. 

Yet  even  now  a  voice  like  soft  bell  tolling, 
Away  from  boast  to  reverie  would  call, 

Bidding  us  linger  not  for  vain  extolling, 
But  heed  the  solemn  writing  on  the  wall. 

We  see  the  red  rose  flaunt  its  pride  and  wither, 
The  breath  of  winter  blast  the  yellow  corn ; 

The  wind  that  swept  the  white  cloud  flying  hither 
Shall  drive  it  far  away  before  the  morn. 

The  moth  shall  gnaw  the  purple  robe,  the  treasure 
Of  silver  and  of  gold  shall  pass  away ; 

Our  city's  power  and  worth  we  may  not  measure 
By  things  whose  twilight  cometh  in  a  day. 

We  have  not  built  a  town  of  wood  and  stone, 
Crumbling  to  ashes  in  a  changing  clime; 

Of  men  is  built  our  city,  thus  alone 
We  build  secure  and  triumph  over  time. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 

Ours  be  the  soul  that  stirs  to  noble  action, 
The  pulse  that  quickens  when  the  cause  is  true, 

The  will  that  swerveth  not  with  storm  or  faction, 
That  flattery  cannot  sway  or  hate  subdue. 

The  spirit  of  devotion,  ever  yearning 
Higher  ideals  to  follow  and  fulfill, 
Seeking  the  means  to  serve  through  all  our  learning 
In  the  white  marble  crown  that  caps  our  hill. 

Nor  idly  would  we  turn  the  storied  pages. 
Making  a  pastime  of  the  book  we  read, 

But  strive  to  summon  from  the  vanish'd  ages 
Wisdom  to  guide  us  in  the  hour  of  need. 

Wisdom  we  ask  for,  and  the  strong  compassion 
That  links  us  heart  to  heart  and  hand  to  hand. 

O  for  the  purpose  firm  and  sure  to  fashion 
A  commonwealth  of  power  to  bless  our  land. 

This  be  our  aim  and  goal  of  our  contriving, 
The  truer  glory  and  the  higher  praise, 

The  crown  of  peace  above  our  earthly  striving 
That  lures  us  on  to  yet  untravel'd  ways. 

Beyond  our  narrow  paths  the  hills  are  lying, 

Beyond   the  hills   there  gleams  a  beckoning  light. 

"Lead  and  we  follow,"  our  very  souls  are  crying, 
"Lead  and  we  follow  to  that  unconquer'd  height." 

Swift  are  the  fading  hours;  the  day  will  wane. 
And  these  our  little  splendors  shine  no  more. 

O  may  their  inspiration  still  remain 

When  all  the  passing  pageantry  is  o'er. 

Now  sets  the  sun.     Lo!  like  the  eye  of  heaven 
Shines  the  soft  radiance  of  the  evening  star. 

Star  of  our  life !  to  Thee  the  praise  be  given ; 
Guide  us  aright,  Thou  in  whose  hands  we  are. 


49 


50 


CEXTE.XXIAL    OF    MKRIDEN, 


CENTENNIAL  GREETING 


[F.   L.   Hamilton.] 


Where  once  the  regicides,  in  sore  distress, 

Flying  before  a  monarch's  stern  decree 
From  shelt'ring  cave,  beyond  the  wilderness, 

A  covert  found  we  gladly  welcome  thee. 
The  freedom  of  the  City  greets  you  here, 

While  pleasure  riots  thro'  Centennial  week, 
And  hospitality  awaits  to  cheer 

The  pilgrims,   who   a   friendly   harbor   seek. 

Staying  conception,  till  thro'  lengthening  strife 

That  peace  obtained,  which  gave  a  nation  birth. 
From  Wallingford  sprang  forth  a  lusty  life. 

Whose    fame    runs    broadcast   now,    throughout    the   earth 
Stray  where  you  will,  some  old-world  path  essays. 

Her  silvery  voice  forestalls  your  eager  knock. 
And  morning's  dawn    (by  the  way  of  courtesy) 

Wakes  on  the  summons  of  a  Parker  clock. 

Yet  e'er  from  slumber's  drowsy  couch  you  leap, 

To  meet  again  Apollo's  urgent  call, 
The  Angelus'  soft  music  lulls  to  sleep 

And  Somnus  holds  your  captive  wits  in  thrall. 
Throw  oflf  dull  lethargy  to  join  in  sport, 

The  hunter's  ramble,  and  e'er  day  is  done, 
You  calmly  listen  for  the  sharp  report 

That  lifts  the  trophy,  with  a  Parker  gun. 

So,  might  our  civic  pride  still  lead  us  on. 

In  egotistic  hope  to  entertain. 
But  better,  while  you  wander  o'er  the  town. 

Let  observation  sing  its  own  refrain ; 
Or,  if  you  be  a  spoke  within  some  wheel, 

Whose  progress  doth  the  City's  good  enhance, 
Though  other  hands  may  guide,  yet  may  you  feel 

Yourself  a  factor,  in  its  broad  advance. 


CE-XTEXNIAL    OF    MERIDEX.  5 1 

Not  brawn  alone,  nor  brain,  in  fash'ning  well, 

The  varied  industries  of  life's  demands, 
Gives  promise  of  to-morrow's  pedestal. 

On  which  our  City's  reputation  stands 
But  where  the  "Hanging  Hills"  majestic,   rise, 

Above  the  nestling  town,  in  watchful  care, 
(Their   hopeful   offspring  of  keen   enterprise) 

What  aspirations  may  her  children  share! 

Oft  have  we  seen  the  threat'ning  wind-clouds  rise 

Around  her  rugged  peaks,  in  angry  mood, 
Till  she,  with  cunning  more  than  worldly-wise, 

Drew  them  aside,  and  Boreas'  force  withstood. 
Or,  when  at  daybreak,  on  her  summit,  lowers 

The  fleecy  veil  of  cloud  that  half  conceals 
Her  time-worn   face,   she  warns  of  coming   showers 

And  nature's  kind  telepathy  reveals. 

And  through  the  Fathers,  as  the  years  rolled  by, 

Beyond  the  A-alley  viewed  those  cliffs,  outlined 
In  bold  relief,  upon  the  distant  sky. 

Not  theirs  the  privilege  to  us  assigned 
For  now,  we  hail,  through  kindly  Providence, 

A  benefactor  to  the  public  good. 
Our  keen  delight  his  meagre  recompense, 

As  we  inv^ade  the  forest's  solitude. 

Wouldst  thou  a  feast  attend  of  glad  surprise. 

And  worship  Nature's  handiwork  anew? 
Let  "Castle  Craig"  reward  your  e.xercise, 

With  all  her  panoramic  wealth  of  view, 
Across  the  vale,  upon  the  City's  bound, 

Mount  Lamentation  looms  above  her  lake. 
And  Buckwheat  Hill,  below,  in  greenish  mound, 

Recalls  to  mind  the  good  old-fashioned  cake. 

Oh!  shades  of  bygone  days,  what  sacrilege. 

While  thy  lone  monument  stilt  marks  the  place 
Where  our  forefathers  (treasured  privilege) 

"God's  Acre"  planned,  upon  its  sightly  face. 


52 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Yet  sentiment  still  clinging  to  the  past, 

Its  mellow  touch  ennobling  lives,  too  stfenuous, 

Stands  sponsor  for  thy  sacred  hill  at  last 
Whose  quaint  name,  "Meeting  House,"  appeals  to  us. 

Gone  are  the  taverns  of  our  Grandsire's  day, 

The  stage-coach  lingers  only  as  a  dream. 
And  olden  paths  to  new  are  giving  way. 

Full  soon  we  too  must  mingle  with  the  stream ; 
Now  opes  the  future  on  far  broader  fields, 

"Whose  opportunities  await  the  man 
Of  action,  where  approved  endeavor  wields 

The  sceptre  of  success,  who  wisely  plan. 

Grim  hardships  of  the  yesterdays  gone  by. 

Become  the  pages  of  a  passing  hour. 
For  lo,  where  education's  rich  supply. 

Neighbors  our  library    (the  widow's   dower). 
Oh,  Meriden !  what  heritage  is  thine, 

Gift  of  the  century's  good  men,  and  true, 
Whose  names  with  retrospective  lustre  shine. 

For  us,  "they  builded  better  than  they  knew!" 


MERIDE.N   HOUSE,  SHOWING  1)ECOK.\TIONS. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


53 


I.   O.   O.   F.   BUILDING,   STATE  STREET. 


54  CEXTEXXIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


FINANCING   THE   CELEBRATION 


It  was  recognized  from  the  beginning  and  even  before  the  magni- 
tude of  the  celebration  dawned  upon  the  committee,  that  ample  funds 
must  be  provided.  Without  plent}'  of  means  to  do  with  it  would  be 
useless  to  go  ahead,  as  Meriden  could  not  afitord  to  have  the  reputation 
of  doing  things  by  halves ;  everything  must  be  done  well  or  not  at  all. 
This  was  the  sentiment  from  the  start  and  from  the  first  meeting  of  the 
general  committee  until  its  last  to  arrange  details,  there  was  a  unanim- 
ity of  expression  that  every  deserving  scheme  should  be  heartily  en- 
dorsed and  liberally  supported.  Nearly  every  meeting  was  largely  at- 
tended and  an  average  of  eleven  out  of  fifteen  members  were  present. 

That  immediate  money  for  incidental  purposes  should  be  in  hand  it 
was  voted  to  ask  each  member  of  the  several  committees  appointed,  ex- 
cepting the  ladies,  the  clergymen,  and  the  Wallingford  committee,  to 
contribute  $5.  There  was  an  immediate  response  from  nearly  200,  so 
that  between  $900  and  $1,000  was  realized.  This  relieved  the  embar- 
rassment of  working  with  an  empty  treasury,  and  enabled  the  paying 
of  all  bills  until  money  was  paid  in  from  other  sources. 

There  was  a  general  feeling  outside  of  the  committee  that  its  organ- 
ization a  year  and  eight  months  before  the  celebration  was  to  take  place 
was  a  mistake,  but  it  did  not  prove  so.  There  were  so  many  things 
to  be  thought  out,  so  much  to  be  discussed,  so  many  state  conventions 
to  be  invited,  which  had  to  be  accepted  or  voted  upon  perhaps  more 
than  a  year  ahead ;  the  passing  of  a  statute  by  the  Legislature  giving 
the  committee  special  privileges,  and  many  other  matters  to  be  con- 
sidered, that  the  time  was  consumed,  and  the  eve  of  Old  Home  Week 
was  at  hand  with  many  things  yet  to  be  done. 

One  of  the  first  sources  of  income  to  be  considered  was  a  proposition 
from  The  Journal  Publishing  company  to  print  a  Souvenir  History  cov- 
ering Meriden's  hundred  }ears  of  progress,  to  be  called  "A  Century  of 
Meriden,"  ten  per  cent,  of  the  gross  proceeds  to  be  given  to  the  Cen- 
tennial fund.  This  was  approved,  with  thanks  and  netted  the  treasury 
nearly  $1,300.  The  historical  part  was  written  by  President  George 
M.  Curtis,  who  proved  himself  an  indefatigable  worker ;  also  a  charm- 
ing and  entertaining  writer.     The  book  contains  1,238  pages,  and  it  is 


CEXXENXIAL    OF    MERIDEN.  -55 

safe  to  say  there  is  no  town  history  in  the  United  States  which  covers 
so  much  detail  or  is  so  well  illustrated.  , 

The  Business  Men's  Association  offered  to  take  charge  of  a  pure 
food  exhibition  at  Hanover  Park,  the  net  receipts  to  be  paid  the  Cen- 
tennial. It  was  voted  to  accept  the  offer  and  while  the  returns  were 
not  as  much  as  it  was  anticipated  they  would  be,  yet  a  fairly  good  sum 
— $758 — was  realized.  In  this  connection  it  had  been  arranged  with 
the  N.  Y.,  N.  H.  &  H.  R.  R.  to  sell  excursion  tickets  horn  every  station 
upon  its  line  in  the  state,  with  a  coupon  attached  which  should  admit 
the  bearer  to  the  exhibition,  the  railroad  agreeing  to  redeem  all  coupons 
presented  at  fifteen  cents  each.  The  income  fell  short  from  the  fact 
that  so  many  attractions  had  been  provided  near  the  center  of  the  city 
that  vrsitors  would  not  travel  the  mile  and  one-half  to  Hanover  Park, 
even  though  street  car  coupons  to  and  from  were  also  provided  with 
the  excursion  ticket. 

While  it  was  expected  that  the  income  from  all  sources  would 
equal  or  exceed  the  expenditures,  the  fact  that  the  members  of  the  Gen- 
eral Committee  were  personally  liable  for  all  obligations,  made  it  ad- 
visible  to  provide  for  deficiencies,  should  such  exist  owing  to  bad  weather 
or  any  other  cause. 

It  was,  therefore,  determined  to  establish  a  "guarantee  fund,"  pledges 
of  $100  each  being  asked  of  the  public-spirited  people  of  the  town.  It 
was  thought  best  to  secure  these  pledges  to  finance  the  undertaking  and 
give  the  Centennial  a  footing  that  it  would  not  otherwise  have.  The 
committee  drew  up  an  explanation  of  the  situation  which  was  as  follows : 

"The  Centennial  committee  for  the  celebration  expected  to  be  held 
here  in  this  city  in  June,  1906,  is  endeavoring  to  so  arrange  whereby 
the  receipts  to  be  derived  from  the  various  sources  will  be  sufficient  to 
cover  the  expenses.  It  is,  however,  obvious  that  the  committee,  which 
is  composed  of  fifteen  citizens,  cannot  undertake  to  become  personally 
liable  for  the  bills  contracted  to  make  the  celebration  a  pronounced  suc- 
cess and  a  credit  to  all  its  citizens. 

'Tt  has,  therefore,  been  considered  necessary  to  create  a  guarantee 
fund  and  in  obtaining  your  subscription  it  is  understood  that  no  por- 
tion of  the  same  shall  be  called  for  until  after  the  close  of  the  Centennial 
and  a  deficiency  found  to  exist,  and  then  only  for  an  equal  amount  with 
each  subscriber  hereto  and  not  exceeding  the  amount  of  the  subscrip- 
tion. No  bills  can  be  contracted  without  the  approval  of  a  special  com- 
mittee of  three  careful  and  conservative  business  men. 


56 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


The  following  forty-five  names 
George  M.  Curtis, 
E.  J.  Doolittle, 
J.  H.  White, 
H.  Wales  Lines, 
C.  J.   Danaher, 
Francis  Atwater, 
A.   Chamberlain,   ' 
Henry  Dryhurst, 
John  L.  Billard, 
Wilbur  H.  Squire, 
Walter  Hubbard 
Charles  F.  Rockwell, 
E.  W.  Smith, 
Eugene  A.  Hall, 
H.  T.  Smith  Express  company, 
John  Q.  Thayer, 
C.  M.  Williams, 
C.  F.  Linsley 
Robert    J.    Merriam, 
J.  H.  Bowker, 
E.  D.  Smith, 
Dexter  L.   Bishop, 

Holt 


were  the  subscribers : 

George  H.   Wilcox, 
.Samuel  Dodd, 
Arthur  S.  Lane, 

F.  E.  Sands, 

C.  Bancroft  Gillespie, 
W.  A.  Kelsey, 
C.  F.  Monroe, 

G.  E.  Savage, 
C.  B.  Rogers, 
C.  L.  Rockwell, 
N.  L.  Bradley, 
C.  P.  Bradley, 
Charles  T.  Dodd, 

B.  W.  Collins, 
F.  E.  Bemis, 
R.  W.  Carter, 
Edward  Miller, 
Russell  Hall, 

C.  W.  Cahill, 
Dexter   W.    Parker, 
J.  D.  Eggleston, 
George  M.  Clark, 

&  Stevens. 


By  the  burning  of  the  opera  house  in  ]\Iarch,  1906,  leaving  the  town 
without  any  hall  to  hold  the  numerous  events  booked  to  take  place 
there,  the  committees  were  forced  to  provide  other  places  for  holding 
many  of  the  exercises,  incurring  a  probable  unlooked-for  expense  and 
the  expenditure  of  money  before  its  receipt.  It  was  then  determined  to 
ask  the  town  for  an  appropriation,  and  at  a  special  town  meeting,  held 
May  15,  the  following  vote  was  passed  unanimously: 

Voted,  That  the  sum  of  $5,000  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  appropriated 
for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  incident  to  the  celebration 
of  the  Centennial  anniversary  of  the  town,  and  that  said  sum  be  ex- 
pended under  the  direction  of  the  General  Centennial  Committee. 

The  loss  of  the  opera  house  by  fire  caused  an  effort  to  be  made  to  se- 
cure the  completion  of  the  new  auditorium  at  the  Town  hall,  and  by  spe- 
cial arrangement  this  was  secured  by  vote  of  the  town,  which  assumed 
the  control  of  the  building  from  June  7  to  June  19,  and  all  damages  to 
person  or  property.     Many  of  the  exercises  were  held  there,  including 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN.  57 

the  colonial  ball,  G.  A.  R.  encampment  and  reproduction  of  the  first  town 
meeting.  The  historical  exercises  were  held  at  the  First  Congregational 
church,  and  the  presentation  of  the  tablet  to  the  town  by  Susan  Carring- 
ton  Clarke  chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  and  the  Centennial  concert  at  the  First 
Methodist  church. 

Another  plan  to  increase  the  income  was  to  issue  a  souvenir  pro- 
gramme. This  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Publicity  committee,  the 
arrangement  and  detail  falling  entirely  on  the  shoulders  of  its  chair- 
man, F.  E.  Sands.  It  was  a  valuable  publication  and  the  information 
contained  was  exhaustive.  It  was  a  pamphlet  of  forty-eight  pages  and 
cover,  size  8x12  inches;  an  edition  of  25,000  being  printed.  It  netted 
the  Centennial  in  round  figures  $1,800. 

The  next  large  revenue  producer  was  the  Committee  on  Licenses  and 
Privileges.  They  were  all  hustlers.  They  arranged  and  managed  three 
separate  "Midways,"  one  on  the  Cahill  lot  on  Pratt  street,  and  two 
others  on  Church  and  South  Grove  streets,  which  were  closed  to  trafiic 
lor  the  week.  The  "Midways"  were  filled  with  all  kinds  of  attractions, 
fakirs,  fortune  tellers,  palm  readers,  big  and  little  shows,  hawkers  and 
peddlers.  A  percentage  or  license  fee  was  collected  from  each  and 
every  source,  netting  some  $1,800  to  the  good.  Too  much  praise  can- 
not be  bestowed  upon  Chairman  A.  D.  Meeks,  Secretary  George  L. 
King,  Treasurer  P.  T.  O'Brien,  W.  C.  Mueller,  J.  F.  Williams,  Dr.  E. 
M.  Beckley,  E.  P.  Golden  and  others,  who  put  in  a  strenuous  week. 

The  committee  on  sports  arranged  many  attractions.  The  athletics, 
given  at  the  Trotting  park,  were  not  self-supporting,  the  field  being  too 
far  from  the  electric  cars  to  be  reached  without  walking  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  or  paying  extra  fare.  The  horse  trotting  paid  $100  for  li- 
cense, and  baseball  games  at  Hanover  park  netted  $250. 

The  sale  of  Centennial  buttons,  pins,  and  badges,  appropriately 
inscribed,  of  beautiful  design,  furnished  more  income.  The  invitations 
to  be  sent  to  guests,  finally  came  into  demand  as  souvenirs,  and  several 
hundred  extra  were  struck  off  to  supply  the  demand  of  those  who 
wished  to  purchase  for  keepsakes. 

Thus  about  $7,000  was  raised  from  the  different  sources  designed  to 
make  the  Centennial  self-supporting;  $5,000  more  was  appropriated  by 
the  town,  and  $4,500  was  pledged  by  individuals,  making  $16,500  at 
the  committee's  disposal  to  make  the  affair  the  success  it  proved  to  be. 

It  is  gratifying  to  report  that  only  about  $600  of  the  town  appropri- 
ation was  used  and  it  was  not  necessary  to  call  for  a  dollar  of  the 
$4,500  pledged. 


CEXTEXXIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


OPENING  OF  OLD  HOME  WEEK 


It  was  expected  that  a  consolidated  band  concert  on  Saturday  even- 
ing-, June  9,  would  be  the  opening  entertainment,  but  a  heavy  down- 
pour of  rain  prevented.  The  town  at  this  time  had  taken  on  a  uni- 
versal holiday  appearance,  the  streets,  public  buildings,  blocks,  shops,, 
houses,  all  being  adorned  with  flags  and  bunting  and  electric  effects 
that  showed  a  feeling  of  patriotism  had  swept  the  community.  In- 
deed, it  was  in  the  air,  and  the  pessimist  who  had  all  along  predicted  the 
Centennial  would  be  a  fizzle,  found  himself  joining  in  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  hour,  proclaiming  it  a  success,  and  defying  any  one  to  show 
another  town  ever  so  thoroughly  decorated  as  Aleriden  was  then.  It 
became  an  era  of  good  fellowship  and  when  Sunday  morning  came 
with  a  cloudless  sky  with  one  accord  everybody  settled  down  to  a  week 
of  good  natured  enjoyment  and  contentment. 

Out  of  town  people  began  to  arrive  early  Saturday  morning,  so  that 
by  night  nearly  every  home  had  one  or  more  visitors.  The  Turner 
society,  the  leading  German  association,  gave  a  reception  to  the  dele- 
gates who  had  come  to  attend  the  big  turnfest,  which  w'as  one  of  the 
principal  features  of  the  week.  The  visitors  were  welcomed  by  the 
offtcers  of  the  societv,  citv  and  town  and  Centennial  officials. 


AEOLIAN  FACTORY,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


59 


Sunday  Observances,  June  10,   1906 


Sunday  was  principally  given  up  to 
religious  observances  in  the  churches, 
the  first  of  the  day  being  held  in  St. 
Rose's  R.  C.  church  at  lo  130  in  the 
morning. 

ST.  ROSE'S   (R.  C.)   CHURCH. 

In  honor  of  the  occasion  Rt.  Rev. 
Michael  Tierngy,  bishop  of  Hartford, 
was  present  and  he  was  attended  by 
Rev.  John  T.  Lynch,  of  St.  Joseph's 
church,  and  Rev.  John  Cooney,  of  St. 
Rose's  church.  The  officers  of  the 
mass  were  all  former  members  of  St. 
Rose's  church.  They  were  Rev.  James 
Harvey,  of  Crossingville,  Pa.,  celebrant; 
Rev.  R.  C.  Gragan,  of  West  Hartford, 
deacon;  Rev.  Dennis  Hurley,  sub-dea- 
con ;  Rev.  L.  A.  Guinan,  St.  Rose's, 
master   of   ceremonies. 

Seats  were  reserved  for  members  of 
the  Centennial  committee  and  city  and 
town  officers,  and  a  large  number  at- 
tended. 

The  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev. 
Dr.  James  P.  Donovan,  pastor  of  St. 
John's  church,  Middletown.  He  is  a 
native  of  Meriden.  He  is  a  forceful 
speaker,  and  among  other  things  he 
said : 

DR.    Donovan's    sermon. 

"Right  Reverend  Bishop,  brethren  of 
the  clergy  and  brethren  of  the  laity :  In 
the  world's  annals  or  the  records  of  our 
young  republic  the  centennary  of  Mer- 
iden which  we  celebrate  to-day  is  of  the 
slightest  importance  but  to  us  it  is  a 
matter  of  considerable  moment.  Within 
the  limits  of  the  Silver  City  there  is 
only  a  very  small  part  of  the  great  coun- 
try of  which  it  is  a  part. 

"We  should  remember  that  numbers 
and  wealth  are  no  criterion  by  which 
we  judge,  and  it  is  well  for  us  to  come 
together  to  pay  tribute  to  the  men  who 
have  made  the  history  of  the  two  for 
the  100  years.  The  whole  is  no  greater 
or  stronger  than  any  of  its  component 
parts.     While  we  look  with  pride  upon 


the  hisory  of  the  last  100  years,  the 
growth  in  wealth  and  importance  of  the 
town  and  city,  we  should  endeavor  to 
find  something  of  the  good  which  has 
been  accomplished  in  that  time,  the  im- 
provement in  moral  and  social  con- 
ditions as  well  as  in  material  things. 
We  should  live  and  work  so  that  our 
descendants  a  hundred  years  hence  may 
look  with  pride  upon  what  we  have  been 
able  in  part  to  accomplish. 

"As  we  look  about  us  to-da}-  and 
think  of  the  old  town  of  Wallingford 
and  Meriden  which  sprang  from  it  100 
years  ago  we  note  a  great  change  in 
the  religion  and  racial  characteristics 
of  the  people.  In  all  we  fail  to  find  the 
old  puritanical  form  of  religion.  Eng- 
lish is  not  the  only  language  spoken  on 
our  streets.  Sumter  and  Grant  are 
simply  meaningless  words  to  the  ma- 
jority of  the  vast  army  of  immigrants 
who  have  come  to  our  shores  during 
the  past  few  years.  Our  great  task  is 
to  develop  morality  and  patriotism 
among  these  people.  The  American 
people  claim  that  their  resources  are 
equal  to  the  demand.  Among  the  mii- 
fying  forces  I  here  to-day  place  the 
Roman  Catholic  church  near  the  head 
of  the  line.  No  matter  where  the  im- 
migrant comes  from  there  is  one  fa- 
miliar thing  which  greets  his  eyes 
among  all  the  strangeness  of  the  new 
country.  It  is  the  altar  of  the  Catholic 
church  where  the  sacrifices  of  the  mass 
are  offered.  The  voice  of  the  priest 
reading  the  mass  is  familiar  to  him. 
The  Catholic  church  is  using  and  will 
continue  to  use  her  wonderful  power 
among  these  people  in  the  cause  of 
right  living  and  good  citizenship. 

"The  disappearance  of  dogmatic  reli- 
gion is  filling  with  dismay  all  deep 
thinkers  outside  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  Our  church  teaches  reverence 
to  God,  the  Bible  is  taught  to  our  peo- 
ple, the  sanctity  of  the  home  and  the 
respect  due  the  government,  is  incul- 
cated into  their  minds  and  lives. 


6o 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


RT.  REV.  -MICHAEL  TIERNEY, 
Bishop   Diocese  of  Connecticut. 


REV.   JOHN    CUUi\E\. 
Rector   St.   Rose's   Church. 


REV.   JOHN    T.    LYNCH, 
Rector   St.   Joseph's   Church. 


REV.    WILLL\M    JUDGE, 
Assistant    St.   Joseph's    Church. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


6l 


"In  our  courts  last  year  there  were 
100,000  divorce  cases  and  in  that  num- 
ber there  was  not  one  practical  Cath- 
olic. The  very  men  who  would  have 
been  banished  in  the  days  of  Doolittle, 
Street  and  Hooker  are  among  the  num- 
ber who  are  now  doing  a  great  deal 
for  the  good  of  the  country  by  teach- 
ing the  purest  and  noblest  ideals  of  life 
to  the  people.  The  Catholic  church  is 
following  the  commission  of  Christ 
when  He  told  His  disciples  to  go  into 
the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  all 
men.  It  has  constantly  labored  to  ful- 
fill that  mission.  The  Catholic  church 
educated  all  Europe  in  the  true  civil- 
ization. In  our  own  country  the  Cath- 
olic church  expends  millions  annually 
to  educate  its  children  while  the  mem- 
bers are  compelled  to  contribute  toward 
the  support  of  other  schools.  In  the 
Catholic  schools  the  mental,  moral  and 
physical  being  is  instructed  and  any 
school  which  does  not  do  this  is  a  great 
failure.  It  is  not  only  a  failure  but 
militates  against  the  best  interests  of  the 
country.  Take  the  Catholic  church  out 
of  the  country  and  you  will  have  left 
only  a  pagan  civilization.  To  this 
church  must  be  given  the  credit  for  a 
large  share  of  the  good  that  has  been 
accomplished  in  the  past   100  years. 

"Meriden's  progress  in  the  past  cen- 
tury should  not  be  measured  by  the 
wealth  of  its  industries  or  its  material 
prosperity.  These  must  be  accompanied 
by  moral  and  religious  progress.  The 
Catholic  church  has  conferred  a  signal 
service  on  Meriden.  Her  children  form 
one-third  of  the  population  and  she  has 
made  them  supporters  of  the  best  in 
life.  They  oppose  all  forms  of  wrong, 
furnish  the  brawn  and  brains  in  your 
factories ;  in  fact  they  have  spared 
neither  time  nor  life  itself  when  the 
country  has  needed  their   services. 

"Catholics  of  Meriden,  do  not  expect 
to  receive  credit  for  all  that  you  have 
done  for  your  beloved  city,  but  continue 


to  toil  under  the  auspices  of  that  grand 
church  which  has  withstood  the  storms 
and,  thank  God  !  will  withstand  them. 

"Catholics  of  Meriden,  you  are  com- 
missioned by  Christ  Himself  to  go  forth 
and  teach.  Not  any  old  thing,  but  that 
which  He  has  told  you.  He  says,  'And 
lo,  I  am  with  you  always  even  to  the 
consummation  of  the  world.'  " 

This  was  the  text  upon  which  Dr. 
Donovan  based  his  sermon.  The  music 
was  well  rendered  by  the  regular  choir, 
under  Mrs.  Gleeson's  direction  and 
consisted  principally  of  Dumont's  new 
chant. 

BISHOP   SPEAKS. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  mass  Bishop 
Tierney  took  occasion  to  speak  as  fol- 
lows : 

"My  friends,  I  wish  to  thank  Father 
Cooney  for  extending  me  an  invitation 
to  be  with  you  to-day.  I  am  very  glad 
I  was  able  to  come.  I  wish  to  thank 
him  also  for  arranging  to  have  these 
clergymen,  all  of  them  children  of  this 
church,  with  us  to-daj^,  and  also  for 
inviting  these  friends  not  of  the  fold. 
I  am  pleased  to  see  them  here  to-day. 

"Above  all,  we  should  thank  God  for 
the  many  blessings  and  the  prosperity 
which  he  has  showered  upon  us  in  the 
past  100  years.  Much  good  has  been 
achieved,  the  blessings  of  God  have 
been  frequent  and  numerous  and  we 
have  before  us  important  duties  which 
we  should  be  ready  and  willing  to  per- 
form. 

"I  hope  the  Catholics  of  Meriden  will 
see  their  duty  and,  as  they  always  have, 
do   it."' 

The  reception  committee,  consisting 
of  Mayor  T.  L.  Reillv,  Dr.  A.  W.  Tracv, 
C.  W.  Cahill  Maurice  O'Brien,  Patrick 
Hopkins,  J.  H.  Pallett,  Jeremiah  ]\Iul- 
hall,  W.  F.  Leahy,  A.  E.  Hughes,  Daniel 
Hurley  P.  F.  Ryan  and  John  P.  Scully 
acted  as  ushers. 


62 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


UNION    SERVICES 
FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 


The  First  Congregational  church  was 
crowded  to  its  spacious  capacity  when 
the  union  services  of  the  combined 
churches  of  the  city  took  place  in  the 
afternoon  at  3  o'clock. 

The  services  opened  with  an  organ 
prelude.  "Old  Hundred,"  arranged  and 
dedicated  by  Organist  George  G.  Mar- 
ble, for  ^leriden's  Centennial.  The 
magnificent  organ  was  never  heard  to 
better  advantage. 

A  chorus  composed  of  the  combined 
quartettes  of  the  city  sang  "The  Heav- 
ens Are  Telling,"  from  '"The  Creation." 
It  was  made  up  as  follows : 

Sopranos — ]\irs.  George  E.  Murdock. 
]\Iiss  Helen  Carlson,  INIiss  Caroline  Cur- 
tiss.  Miss  Rose  Daybill.  Miss  Hazel 
Harmon,  Miss  Leila  lUingworth.  Miss 
Mabel  Mayne,  IVlrs.  E.  L.  Montgomery, 
Miss  Feme  Rogers,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Ziebarth. 

Altos— Mrs.  A.  M.  Brooks,  Miss 
Louise  Brooks,  Miss  Mae  Castelow. 
Miss  Eliza  Daybill,  Miss  Ruth  Har- 
mon, Miss  Hazel  Hubbard,  I\Irs.  S.  F. 
Johnson,  Miss  Alma  Nordstrom,  Miss 
Florence  Richmond,  Miss  Clara  Sav- 
age. 

Tenors— H.  L.  Wheatley.  A.  M. 
Brooks,  G.  W.  Samson,  Dr.  L.  F. 
Wheatley. 

Basses — H.  H.  Smith,  George  Devaul, 
Charles  Heaton,  L.  J.  Marcy,  E.  L. 
^Montgomery,  Fred.  Skinner. 

Rev.  A.  T.  Randall,  of  St.  Andrew's 
church,  offered  the  prayer  as  follows: 

"Let  us  pray.  Our  Father  who  art  in 
heaven,  hallowed  be  Thy  name.  Thy 
kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in 
earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this 
day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us 
our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who 
trespass  against  us.  And  lead  us  not 
into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from 
evil ;  for  Thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the 
power,  and  the  glory,  forever  and  ever. 
Amen. 

"O  God,  the  God  of  our  fathers,  as 
Thou  wert  of  old  the  God  of  Abraham, 


of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  on  this  notable 
day  in  the  life  of  our  community  we 
yield  most  high  praise  and  hearty  thanks 
to  Thee  for  the  good  example  of  those, 
Thy  servants,  who  in  the  years  gone  by 
laid  the  foundation  of  our  town  and  city. 
To-day,  under  Thy  guidance,  we  owe  a 
debt  that  we  little  know.  We  are  grate- 
ful to  Thee  for  their  sturd_v  sense,  their 
unyielding  reliance  in  righteousness, 
their  robust  morality,  their  uprightness 
and  integrity;  their  scorn  of  graft  and 
of  bribes,  and  of  everything  tending  to 
make  bad  citizenship  or  that  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie.  May  we  cherish  and  ex- 
ercise the  noble  virtues  that  they  dis- 
played, and  may  we  transmit  to  our 
children  the  faith  and  righteousness 
that  made  them  strong. 

"We  beg  for  Thy  benediction  on  the 
mayor  of  this  city,  the  common  coun- 
cil, the  aldermen,  the  courts  of  justice, 
the  officials  of  the  town,  the  board  of 
education,  and  all  others  who  maj'  here 
hold  office  or  authority,  and  we  pra}' 
that  thej^  knowing  whose  ministers  they 
are,  may  above  all  things  seek  Thy 
honor  and  glory.  May  those  men  who 
guard  us  by  day  and  who  watch  over 
us  by  night  be  protected  from  all  dan- 
ger, be  kept  in  purity  of  heart  though 
they  be  the  witnesses  of  sin.  Keep 
from  harm  those  brave  men  who  are 
our  guardians  and  rescuers  in  times  of 
accident  and  fire.  Grant  that  the  teach- 
ers in  our  schools  may  look  upon  all 
children  as  sacred  in  Thy  sight,  using 
that  patience  which  will  never  offend 
one  of  these  little  ones,  training  them 
in  love  and  in  Thy  good  will.  Give  to 
both  employer  and  employe  the  spirit 
of  mutual  confidence  and  regard,  so 
that  tliey  may  assume  their  several  re- 
sponsibilities with  an  eye  single  to  the 
rights  of  each  other,  and  may  they  labor 
together  in  the  same  union,  in  one  com- 
mon fellowship  and  brotherhood  in  Jesus 
Christ :  and  finally  may  all  the  members 
of  this  community,  both  old  and  young, 
become  in  Thy  sight  worthy  citizens  in 


CEXTEXXIAL    OF    MEJRIDEX. 


63 


that  beautiful  city  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom  where  they  may  live  with  Thee 
in  life  everlasting.  Through  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Lord,  we  ask  it.     Amen." 

The  hvmn  following  was  announced 
by  Rev. 'J.  H.  Holden,  of  St.  Paul's 
church.  Then  followed  a  scripture  read- 
ing by  Rev.  R.  A.  Ashworth,  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  church.  The  choir 
sang  "Great  and  Marvelous"  from  "the 
Holy  City,"  after  which  Rev.  J.  H. 
Grant,  of  the  Center  Congregational 
church,  announced  the  h}-mn. 


Abbott,  who  was  then  a  young  man 
preaching  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  to 
become  its  pastor  and  teacher,  but  he 
was  then  engaged  in  a  work  which  he 
thought  was  not  quite  complete,  and  so 
he  declined  the  call.  Forty-five  years 
later  the  town  of  Meriden  extended  an 
invitation  to  Doctor  Abbott  to  come 
and  deliver  this  opening  address,  and 
this  time  he  has  accepted.  There  are 
few  men  living  to-day  who  have  wielded 
a  greater  inliuence  on  public  opinion 
than    Doctor    Lyman    Abbott.     As    the 


FIRST    COXGREG.\TIONAL    CHURCH. 


Rev.  Mr.  Lord: — "If  this  beautiful 
Sabbath  day,  and  this  magnificent  con- 
gregation made  up  of  all  the  churches 
of  this  city,  is  at  all  prophetic  of  what 
the  Centennial  is  to  be,  it  would  not 
take  a  prophet  or  the  son  of  a  prophet 
to  declare  that  it  will  be  eminently  suc- 
cessful. We  feel  that  we  need  to  be 
congratulated  this  afternoon  that  one  of 
the  foremost  citizens  of  this  country  is 
with  us  to  deliver  the  opening  address 
of  Meriden's  Centennial.  In  1861  this 
church  extended  a  call  to  Doctor  Lvman 


.successor  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher  in 
Plymouth  church,  Brooklyn,  and  as  the 
author  of  many  books  upon  religious 
subjects,  and  especially  as  editor  of 
'The  Outlook,'  he  has  stood  for  every 
progressive  thought  and  movernent 
which  has  appealed  to  his  sense  of  jus- 
tice. 

"And  it  is  my  privilege  and  pleasure 
this  afternoon  to  introduce  Reverend 
Lyman  Abbott,  D.  D.,  who  will  speak 
to'  us  on  'The  Message  of  Puritanism 
for  the  Twentieth  Centurv.'  " 


64 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


REV.    LYMAN    ABBOTT.    D.    D. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


65 


SERMON    BY   REV.    LYMAN    ABBOTT,    D.    D. 

The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  12th 
chapter,  the  first  and  a  part  of  the  sec- 
ond verse.  "Wherefore,  seeing  we  also 
are  compassed  about  with  so  great  a 
cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  lay  aside 
every  weight  and  the  sin  which  doth 
so  easih'  beset  us,  and  let  us  run  with 
patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us; 
looking  unto  Jesus,  the  Author  and  Fin- 
isher  of  our   faith." 

We  have  a  right  to  believe  that  in 
this  home-coming  week  of  Meriden  there 
will  be  guests  here  whom  the  eye  will 
not  see ;  that  those  who  have  left  the 
earthly  for  the  heavenly  courts  will  re- 
turn again  to  the  home  they  loved  on 
earth,  to  look  upon  their  friends,  and 
upon  their  children  and  upon  their  chil- 
dren's children,  and  to  bring  to  them 
the  benediction  of  their  Father  and  our 
Father.  It  is  in  this  faith  that  I  speak 
to  3'ou  this  afternoon,  endeavoring  to 
interpret  in  some  wise  the  message  which 
they  would  bring  to  us.  If  our  fathers 
are  permitted  to  revisit  and  look  upon 
the  scenes  they  loved  on  earth,  they 
will  see  much  in  this  beginning  of  the 
twentieth  century  that  might  well  amaze 
them  had  they  not  grown  accustomed  to 
it.  Where  there  was  a  wilderness 
they  will  see  smiling,  fruitful  farms; 
where  there  were  little  village  shops 
they  will  see  great  factories ;  where 
there  were  highways  with  deep  ruts,  un- 
comfortable to  travel  over,  they  will  see 
the  noble  highways  which  modern  civ- 
ilization has  constructed.  Where  they 
saw  men  and  women  chiefly  journeying 
on  horseback,  they  will  see  the  railroad, 
the  trolley  car,  and  the  automobile. 
But  that  is  not  all.  They  will  see 
school  houses  and  churches  beyond  the 
wildest  dream  of  their  imagination. 
They  will  wonder,  perhaps,  to  see  on 
the  Sabbath  day  so  many  men  and 
women  not  going  to  church,  and  so 
many  using  the  day  rather  as  a  holi- 
day than  as  a  holy  day.  And  yet,  if 
they  look  deeply,  as  surely  they  will, 
they  can  see  this,  that  the  churches 
are  absolutely  independent  of  state 
support  and  state  control.  They 
will  see  this :  that  those  who  go  to 
church  go  not  because  they  are  com- 
pelled to,  but  because  they  wish  to.  They 
will  see  this :  that  the  institutions  of 
religion  are  the  free-will  offerings  of  a 
loyal,  free  people.  And  they  will  see 
this,  not  only  in  Meriden.  not  only  in 
the  New  Haven  and  Hartford  colonies. 


but  they  will  look  across  the  continent, 
and  they  will  see  this  Greater  New  Eng- 
land with  its  churches  and  its  school 
houses,  with  its  free  religion  and 
its  earnest  faith  separate  from  all 
state  or  political  control;  and  I  think  if 
they  are  still  inclined  to  be  a  little  hu- 
man there  will  be  a  great  exultation 
which  will  be  partly  pride  but  chiefly 
gratitude. 

But  they  will  also  see  some  con- 
ditions of  life  which  they  will  not 
like  so  well.  They  will  be  surprised 
at  the  agnosticism  developed  in  a  com- 
munity where  in  their  time  not  even 
the  word  was  known.  They  will  think 
there  is  a  strange  lack  of  reverence,  not 
only  of  children  for  elders,  and  of  lay- 
men for  ministers,  but  also  of  the  com- 
munity for  all  the  symbols  and  institu- 
tions of  religion.  And  they  will  hardly 
fail  to  see  in  this  country,  where  there 
was  so  much  simplicity  and  lack  of  lux- 
ury or  even  of  comfort  when  they  were 
here,  a  development  of  selfishness  and 
greed  that  is  at  once  a  folly  and  a  crime. 

What  will  they  want  to  say  to  us? 
What  would  be  their  message  if  they 
might  give  it  to  us  to-day?  What  is 
the  essential  spirit  of  that  Puritanism 
on  which  we  are  to  reflect  not  only  this 
afternoon  but  throughout  this  coming 
week  ? 

Puritanism  was  more  than  a  sect. 
It  was  more  than  a  theological  creed 
or  an  ecclesiastical  organization.  It  was 
a  religious  movement.  It  was  to  be 
found  in  the  seventeenth  cenutry  in  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  in  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  It  came  with  new  fresh- 
ness and  power  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury in  tthe  Methodist  church.  The 
secret  of  that  movement  has  been  well 
interpreted  by  a  writer  whom  I  shall 
venture  to  quote  because  he  will  not  be 
thought  to  be  prejudiced  by  any  eccle- 
siastical preferences.  "The  dominant 
idea  of  Puritanism."  says  Edward 
Dowden,  the  English  literary  critic, 
"was  that  the  relation  between  the  in- 
visible spirit  of  man  and  the  invisible 
God  is  immediate  rather  than  mediate." 
It  set  little  store  by  tradition,  be- 
cause God  had  spoken  to  men  directly 
in  the  words  of  revelation.  It  dis- 
trusted human  ceremonies  because  they 
stood  between  the  creature  and  his  Cre- 
ator.'"*    This  was  the  essential  doctrine 


►Edward    Dowden:    Puritan    and    Anglican. 


66 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


of  Puritanism;  that  even-  individual 
stands  in  an  immediate,  direct  personal 
relation  with  Almighty  God.  The  Pur- 
itans objected  not  to  bishops;  for  some 
of  them  remained  in  the  Episcopal 
church.  They  objected  to  the  divine 
right  of  bishops.  They  objected  not  to 
kings.  Some  of  them  were  monarch- 
ists. They  objected  to  the  divine  right 
of  kings,  to  the  doctrine  that  the  king 
is  the  Lord's  annointed  and  that  royalty 
descends  by  natural  generation  from 
father  to  son.  They  objected  to  the 
doctrine  that  the  bishop  is  the  Lord's 
appointee,  and  that  his  title  descends 
by  ecclesiastical  appointment  through 
the  laying  on  of  hands.  They  denied 
that  the  grace  of  God  is  piped  and  con- 
duitcd  through  generations  of  divine 
appointes  either  ecclesiastical  or  politi- 
cal. They  believed  that  it  descends  as 
the  gentle  dew  from  heaven;  every 
flower  may  lift  up  its  head  and  drink 
it  in.  That  its  breath  is  as  inspiring 
and  as  universal  as  God's  own  pres- 
ence ;    every   man    may   breathe    it. 

This  was  the  vital,  essential,  funda- 
mental faith  of  the  Puritans,  and  this 
was  the  essential,  vital  and  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  the  democracy,  ec- 
clesiastical and  political,  which  they 
came  here  to  establish.  They  came 
from  across  the  sea,  not  fleeing  from 
persecution.  They  were  no  cowards. 
They  did  not  fear  to  meet  the  sword 
which  their  fellows  met  in  England 
and  met  with  success.  They  did  not 
flee  from  across  the  sea  to  establish  in 
this  land  merely  a  new  form  of  gov- 
ernment, political  or  religious,  nor  to 
establish  what  has  sometimes  been 
called  liberty,  either  political  or  reli- 
gious. They  came  to  establish  a  theo- 
cracy ;  a  church  without  bishops,  a 
state  without  a  king,  but  still  a  church 
and  still  a  state;  a  divine  church  and 
a  divine  state,  a  church  and  a  state 
founded  on  their  faith  in  the  universal 
presence    of    Almighty    God. 

The  Puritans  have  been  criticised 
for  attempting  to  fonud  a  theocracy. 
They  were  right.  The  only  government 
which  it  is  worth  while  to  found  is  a 
theocratic  government.  They  have  been 
criticised  for  attempting  to  re-enact 
God's  laws.  They  were  right.  The 
only  laws  which  it  is  ever  worth  while 
to  re-enact  are  God's  laws.  They  have 
been  criticised  for  laying  too  much  em- 
phasis on  law.  They  were  right.  Law 
is   the   foundation   of   all   material    civil- 


ization and  of  all  moral  civilization. 
They  have  been  criticised  for  going  to 
the  Old  Testament  rather  than  to  the 
New  Testament.  They  were  right. 
The  New  Testament  is  the  book  for 
instruction  in  individual  life ;  the  Old 
Testament  is  the  book  for  instruction 
in  social  order ;  and  the  questions  with 
which  Puritanism  concerned  itself  were 
these  of  the  social  order.  They  have 
been  criticised  for  denying  human  lib- 
erty. They  did,  in  some  measure,  deny 
human  liberty.  And  yet  their  concep- 
tions of  the  social  order  embody  the 
true  basis  of  both  political  and  religious 
liberty.  They  builded  wisely ;  though 
they  builded  more  wisely  than  they 
knew.  These  are  the  theses,  with 
some  practical  applications,  which  I 
wish  to  put  before  you  this  afternoon. 
Austin,  one  of  the  great  writers 
on  English  law  thus  defines  it:  "A 
command  is  an  order  issued  by  a  su- 
perior to  an  inferior.  It  is  the  signifi- 
cation of  a  desire  distinguished  by  this 
peculiarity,  that  the  party  to  whom  it 
is  directed  is  liable  to  evil  from  the 
other  in  case  he  comply  not  with  the 
desire."  If  you  are  able  and  willing 
to  punish  in  case  I  comply  not  with  the 
expression  of  j'our  wish,  the  wish  is  a 
command.  That  is  the  doctrine  of 
despotism,  the  doctrine  that  might 
makes  right,  that  the  power  to  hurt  is 
the  basis  of  law.  That  was  the  doctrine 
of  the  Stuarts  and  to-day  it  underlies 
certain  modern  conceptions  of  political 
philosophy.  The  Puritans  did  not  be- 
lieve in  any  such  definition  of  law.  No 
social  order  has  proved  to  be  perman- 
ent which  has  been  founded  on  Austin's 
conception  of  law.  It  is  a  false  con- 
ception. Law  is  the  nature  of  any- 
thing CONCERNING  WHICH  IT  IS  PRE- 
DICTED. 

Physical  laws  are  the  nature  of  ma- 
terial things.  Moral  laws  are  the  na- 
ture of  moral  things.  Divine  laws  are 
the  nature  of  God.  Law  does  not  de- 
rive its  authority  from  the  one  who 
issues  it.  Law  is  not  an  edict  which 
is  just  because  it  can  be  enforced  by 
penalty.  The  apple  does  not  fall  to  the 
ground  because  some  one  says  Fall.  It 
is  the  nature  of  all  material  things  to 
attract  each  other  in  a  certain  definite 
ratio.  It  is  not  wrong  to  steal  be- 
cause Moses  said  "Thou  shalt  not 
steal."  The  right  of  property  is  in- 
herent in  the  social  fabric,  because 
societv  cannot  e.\ist  unless  that  right  is 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


67 


recognized.  The  law  is  not  external. 
It  is  internal.  It  is  not  our  duty  to 
tell  the  truth  because  God  has  forbid- 
den us  to  lie.  "Speak  ye  truth,  each 
with  his  neighbor,"  says  Paul,  "for  we 
we  are  members  one  of  another."  Mu- 
tual confidence  is  the  social  bond ; 
falsehood  dissolves  it.  As  the  laws  of 
society  are  the  nature  of  society,  so 
the  law  of  God  is  the  nature  of  God. 
He  is  a  righteous  God  because  it  is 
his  nature  to  do  good.  He  is  right- 
eous because,  to  take  the  Golden  Rule 
as  a  definition  of  righteousness,  it  is 
the  nature  of  God  to  do  unto  others 
as  he  would  have  others  do  unto  him. 
Law  does  not  depend  upon  the  king, 
nor  upon  the  council,  nor  upon  the 
legislature  nor  upon  the  courts.  These 
discover  law,  they  do  not  make  it,  any 
more  than  Isaac  Newton  made  the  law 
of  gravitation  or  Edison  the  laws  of 
electricity.  As  little  does  law  depend 
upon  the  will  of  the  majority.  The 
Puritans  never  believed  that  govern- 
ment rest,  upon  the  consent  of  the 
governed.  They  never  believed  that 
the  justification  of  law  can  be  found  in 
its  popularity.  They  never  believed 
that  a  majority  has  the  right  or  the 
power  to  make  law.  All  that  majorities 
can  do  is  to  ascertain  what  are  laws. 
When  a  mob  burns  a  negro  at  the 
stake,  though  it  has  the  power  to  in- 
flict harm,  it  is  a  lawless  mob.  Its 
act  is  not  lawful  because  it  is  the  act 
of  a  majority.  A  law  is  not  just  be- 
cause it  is  aproved  by  the  nia- 
joritv.  The  majority  of  the  people 
of  Spain  approved  of  the  Inquisition. 
It  was  not  just.  A  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  United  States  prior  to  1850 
approved  of  slavery.  It  was  not  just. 
The  Puritan  was  always  ready  to  take 
an  appeal  from  the  edict  of  the  major- 
ity, as  he  was  always  ready  to  take  an 
appeal  from  the  edict  of  the  king.  He 
did  not  believe  any  more  in  the  divine 
right  of  bishops  while  Laud  was  exer- 
cising authority  in  England  though  the 
majority  of  Englishmen  consented, 
than  he  did  after  Laud  had  been  put  to 
death.  He  did  not  believe  any  the  less 
in  the  affirmation  that  the  majority 
had  a  right  to  interfere  with  the  lib- 
erty of  conscience,  after  the  majoritv 
liad  brought  Charles  the  Second  back 
to  the  throne  again.  The  killing  of 
Charles  the  First  did  not  convince  him 
and  the  return  of  Charles  the  Second 
did  not  convert  him.     It  is  not  the  doc- 


trine of  Puritan  Democracy  that  ma- 
jorities are  divine.  As  the  spirit  of 
God  breathes  in  all  the  people,  it  is 
more  probable  that  all  the  people  will 
eventually  be  right  than  that  the  king 
or  the  bishop  will  be  right.  It  is  bet- 
ter' to  submit  to  all  the  people  than  to 
submit  to  a  king,  or  a  bishop.  But  there 
is  something  superior  to  the  law  of 
kings,  or  hierarchies ;  that  something 
better  is  the  law  of  God ;  and  that  law 
of  God  is  written  in  the  universal  con- 
science. 

A  little  while  ago  the  question  came 
before  this  country,  was  the  Spanish- 
American  war  right  or  wrong?  The 
majority  said  Right.  I  agree  with  that 
conclusion.  I  think  it  was  a  noble  war. 
But  the  fact  that  the  majority  decided 
so  does  not  make  it  so.  A  little  later 
the  question  came  before  this  country 
whether  we  should  retain  our  authority 
in  the  Philippine  Islands  until  we  had 
educated  the  Filipinos  so  that  they 
could  govern  themselves.  The  major- 
ity said  Yes.  I  agree  with  that  major- 
ity. But  the  fact  that  the  majority  said 
so  dofs  not  make  it  so.  There  is  al- 
ways a  right  to  appeal  from  Philip 
drunk  to  Philip  sober.  There  is  al- 
ways a  right  to  appeal  from  the  major- 
ity drunk  to  tthe  majority  sober.  I 
was  looking  over  the  records  of  your 
town  this  morning  and  I  found  that  at 
one  time  there  were  twelve  Abolition- 
ists, and  some  three  hundred  Demo- 
crats and  Whigs.  Those  twelve  Abo- 
lutionists  undertook  to  hold  a  meeting, 
and  the  minister  of  this  church,  with 
the  courage  that  belonged  to  the  Puri- 
tan preacher  then,  and  I  think  belongs 
to  his  descendants  now,  invited  the 
Abolitionists  to  make  their  speeches  in 
his  church.  The  mob  gathered  and 
drove  the  people  out  of  the  church.  It 
was  twelve  against  three  hundred.  But 
the  twelve  have  won  the  day,  because 
they  were  co-operating  with  the  eternal, 
immutable  laws  of  God.  The  edicts  of 
majorities  are  not  always  the  laws  of 
God,  any  more  than  are  the  edicts  of 
kings    or    of    hierarchies. 

Righteousness  is  conformity  to  God's 
own  nature.  Righteousness  cannot  ex- 
ist apart  from  a  moral  being,  because 
righteousness  is  this  nature  of  a  moral 
being.  There  cannot  be  righteous- 
ness if  there  be  not  some  being 
who  is  right.  There  cannot  be 
sweetness  if  there  be  not  some- 
thing which  is  sweet.     There  cannot  be 


68 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


courage  if  there  be  not  some  one  who 
is  courageous,  nor  honesty  if  there  be 
not  some  one  who  is  upright.  Honesty, 
truth,  justice,  righteousness,  courage, 
these  are  all  qualities  belonging  to 
some  personality.  They  cannot  exist 
apart  from  personality.  If  they  exist 
outside  of  man  they  exist  in  some  per- 
sonal God  who  is  more  than  man. 
Righteousness  is  not  merely  an  edict 
issued  from  God.  It  is  God's  own  na- 
ture. Neither  is  it  an  intangible  thing, 
an  attribute  without  a  subject,  or  a 
quality  without  a  character  to  which  it 
attaches.  Deep  in  the  heart  of  the 
American  people  is  their  faith  in  God. 
I  do  not  say  their  faith  in  my  definition 
of  God,  or  in  your  definition  of  God,  or 
in  any  man's  definition  of  God ;  but  in 
God.  Pluck  out  of  the  heart  of  the 
American  people  their  faith  iu  some  su- 
preme infinite  Being,  who  is  infinitely 
wise,  just  and  holy,  and  you  pluck  out 
of  the  heart  of  the  people  their  faith 
in  the  very  source  of  justice,  of  right- 
eousness, of  purity  and  of  truth. 

Says  Professor 'Bryce:  "Looking  in 
imagination  at  the  throngs  of  eager  fig- 
ures streaming  through  the  streets  of  an 
American  city — suppose  that  all  these 
men  ceased  to  believe  that  there  was  any 
power  above  them,  any  future  before 
them,  anything  in  heaven  or  earth,  but 
what  their  senses  told  them  of;  and 
suppose  that  their  consciousness  of  in- 
dividual force  and  responsibility,  al- 
ready dwarfed  by  the  overwhelming 
power  of  the  multitude,  and  the  fatalis- 
tic submission  it  engenders,  were  fur- 
ther weakened  by  the  feeling  that  their 
swiftly  fleeting  life  were  rounded  by  a 
perpetual  sleep,— would  the  moral  code 
stand  unshaken,  and  with  it  the  rever- 
ence for  law,  the  sense  of  duty  toward 
the  community  and  even  toward  the 
generations  yet  to  come?  Would  men 
say,  'Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-mor- 
row we  die?'  Or  would  custom  and 
sympathy  and  a  perception  of  the  ad- 
vantages which  stable  government  of- 
fers to  the  citizens  as  a  whole,  and 
which  orderly,  self-restraint  offers  to 
fcach  one,  replace  supernatural  sanc- 
tions and  hold  in  check  the  violence  of 
masses  and  the  self-indulgent  impulses 
of  the  individual  ?" 

■We  have  had  experience  enough  al- 
ready in  America  to  furnish  an  answer 
to  that  question.  We  have  recently 
seen  an  experience  abroad  to  furnish  an 
answer  to  it.  From  the  church  the  mu- 
sic is  sounding,  and  hearts  are  beating 


with  life  and  jo^^  All  faces  are 
wreathed  in  smiles.  The  flowers  are 
ready  to  adorn  the  bride.  Joy  reigns. 
Suddenly  a  murderous  bomb  is  ex- 
ploded in  the  midst  of  the  bridal  pro- 
cession. Instantly  it  is  turned  into  a 
funeral  procession.  Why?  Because 
there  are  men — typical,  representative 
men — who  do  not  believe  in  law,  because 
they  do  not  believe  in  God ;  who  be- 
lieve only  in  their  own  self-will.  When 
the  apostle  of  self-will  comes  down 
from  the  mountain-top  the  commands 
which  he  brings  with  him  are  such  as 
these :  Thou  shalt  have  no  God ;  thou 
shalt  do  no  worship;  thou  shalt  honor 
no  elders ;  thou  shalt  kill ;  thou  shalt 
commit  adultery ;  thou  shalt  steal ;  thou 
shalt  bear  false  witness;  thou  shalt 
covet  thy  neighbor's  goods.  If  we  could 
conceive  that  the  American  people 
should  ever  ■  become  satisfied  with  a 
religion  that  is  without  God;  satisfied 
to  bow  down  before  their  own  image 
in  humanity  worship ;  satisfied  to  know 
law  but  their  own  self-will;  not  only 
the  end  of  Puritanism,  but  the  end  of 
law  .of  liberty  and  of  national  life, 
will  have  come. 

I  think,  therefore,  the  first  message 
of  these  Puritans  would  be  to  us  some- 
thing like  this:  Children  of  your  fore- 
fathers, if  you  wish  to  do  so,  lay  aside 
their  creeds,  their  forms  of  worship, 
their  social  customs,  their  political 
methods,  but  hold  fast  to  these  two 
fundamental  life-principles:  Their  faith 
in  God  and  their  faith  in  man;  their 
faith  in  a  personal  God  who  is  righteous 
and  just,  and  in  men  as  the  children  of 
God,  who  stand  in  such  personal  in- 
dividual relation  to  God  that  God's  life 
is  their  life.  His  nature  is  their  nature, 
and  the  laws  of  His  being  are  the  laws 
of  their  being. 

If  what  I  have  said  is  true,  then  the 
law  of  God  does  not  depend  for  its 
sacredness  upon  revelation.  The  revel- 
ation is  not  the  creation  of  law.  It  is 
the  disclosure  of  law.  It  is  the  open- 
ing of  law  to  man's  intelligence.  Be- 
fore the  beautiful  picture  of  the  As- 
sumption of  the  Virgin  painted  by 
Titian,  and  hanging  in  one  of  the 
galleries  of  "Venice,  I  stand,  and  a  critic 
at  my  side  says,  "This  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful' pictures  in  the  world." 
That  does  not  make  it  beautiful.  It  is 
not  beautiful  because  he  tells  me  it  is; 
he  tells  me  it  is  beautiful  because  it  is 
beautiful.     Moses  says,  "Thou  shalt  not 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


69 


Steal."  His  saying  so  does  not  make  it 
wrong  to  steal.  He  says  so  because  it 
is  wrong  to  steal.  The  law  precedes 
revelation.  The  law  precedes  the  dis- 
closure or  interpretation  of  Law.  Morse 
learns  certain  of  the  laws  of  electricity; 
he  utilizes  them  and  sets  them  to  man's 
service ;  but  he  does  not  create  elec- 
tricity nor  the  laws  of  electricity.  He 
discloses  them.  The  Bible  does  not  cre- 
ate the  moral  law.  The  Bible  is  written 
by  men  who  learned  what  is  the  moral 
law  and  who  interpreted  it  for  mankind. 
The  way  to  destroy  reverence  for  the 
Bible  is  to  make  a  fetish  of  it.  The 
way  to  promote  reverence  for  the  Bi- 
ble is  to  interpret  truly  its  nature  and 
its  function. 

The  New  Testament  has  very  little 
to  say  bout  the  social  order.  Jesus 
Christ  lived  at  a  time  when  the  Hebrew 
people  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  or- 
ganization of  the  state.  They  were  the 
subjects  of  an  imperial  despotism.  They 
could  not  change  a  single  legal  enact- 
ment. They  could  not  change  a  single 
form  of  the  political  organism  under 
which  they  lived.  Therefore  Jesus  said 
very  little  about  political  obligations, 
and  the  Apostles  followed  Him  in  that 
respect.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Old 
Tesitament  prophets  lived  at  a  time 
when  the  Hebrews  were  the  masters  of 
their  own  destiny,  and  organized  their 
own  state.  They  formed  and  directed 
their  own  governments.  Therefore,  the 
Old  Testament  is  full  of  explicit  di- 
rections as  to  the  laws  of  the  social  or- 
der. I  shall  not  undertake  this  after- 
noon to  go  into  them  at  length.  But  I 
will  take  an  illustration  from  them  with 
which  we  are  all  familiar.  The  con- 
stitution of  the  Hebrew  Commonwealth, 
is  the  Ten  Commandments.  What  are 
these?  Thou  shalt  reverence  God; 
Thou  shalt  keep  one  day  in  seven  free 
from  the  drudgerj'  of  toil ;  thou  shalt 
honor  thy  parents ;  thou  shalt  not  kill ; 
thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery;  thou 
shalt  not  bear  false  witness ;  thou  shalt 
not  desire  to  do  these  things.  These 
are  the  foundations  of  the  social  order. 
Reverence  for  God,  the  preservation  of 
some  time  for  ministr}^  to  the  higher 
life,  respect  for  elders,  the  preservation 
of  the  rights  of  person,  of  property,  of 
the  family  and  of  reputation,  and  this 
not  from  fear  of  penalty  but  from  a 
sincere  desire  for  the  protection  of 
human  rights; — this  is  the  Hebrew 
Constitution.     Some  scholars  are  of  the 


opinion  that  Moses  got  his  political 
ideals  from  some  earlier  code  of  other 
peoples.  They  compare  his  code  which 
they  find  in  the  first  five  books  of  the 
Bible  with  an  earlier  code  of  Egypt  and 
think  they  find  analogous  provisions  in 
both.  But  we  may  search  the  literature 
of  the  world — Greek,  Roman,  Phoenic- 
ian, Egyptian,  Babylonian,  Assyrian, 
East  Indian,  Chinese — and  we  shall  not 
find  anywhere  such  an  epitome  of  the 
laws  of  the  social  order  as  are  to  be 
found  in  the  Ten  Commandments.  I 
do  not  think  anything  needs  to  be  added 
to  them  to  make  a  complete  code  of  the 
social  order.  I  am  sure  that  nothing 
can  be  taken  from  them  without  weak- 
ening  the    social   order. 

If  the  Puritans,  whom  I  imagine  as 
gathering  in  our  assembly  this  after- 
noon, were  to  look  upon  this  country 
of  ours,  would  they  think  it  was  time 
to  close  the  Old  Testament  and  take 
down  the  Ten  Commandments  from 
our  churches  and  our  schools?  Would 
they  see  a  nation  universally  reverent, 
or  one  whose  greatest  national  vice  is 
egotism  and  self-conceit?  No  one,  I 
think,  not  even  an  American,  believes 
that  we  are  too  modest.  Would  they 
then  think  that  we  spend  too  little  time 
on  the  material  things  of  life,  or  are 
too  little  energetic  and  too  little  enter- 
prising? When  they  saw  men  in  this 
country  willing  to  denude  Mount  Wash- 
ington of  its  garments  of  forest,  and 
spoil  the  picturesqueness  of  its  natural 
scenery  to  make  money,  when  they  saw 
men  willing  to  despoil  that  unparalleled 
cataract  of  Niagara  to  make  money, 
would  they  think  that  we  cared  too  lit- 
tle for  the  material  and  too  much  for 
the  esthetic?  And  yet  we  cannot  ignore 
the  spiritual  without  coming  in  time  to 
ignore  the  esthetic.  They  are  akin,  one 
to  the  other.  A  nation  that  needs  to  be 
taught  nothing  further  as  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God  will  not  sacrifice  its  Mount 
Washingtons   and   is    Niagaras. 

Would  they  then  say,  that  at 
least,  there  is  no  need  of  teach- 
ing these  people  the  second  table 
of  the  law?  We  talk  of  our 
criminal  classes ;  will  you  tell  me  where 
to  draw  the  line?  That  senator  who  is 
going  out  of  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States  in  order  that  he  may,  in  all 
probability,  take  a  position  in  a  peni- 
tentiary, does  he  belong  to  the  crim- 
inal classes?  The  two  senators  who 
are    now    under    indictment    and    await- 


70 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


ing  trial,  do  they  belong  to  the 
criminal  classes?  Does  the  senator 
who  bought  his  way  into  the  Sen- 
ate by  fraud  and  corruption  so  palpable 
that  he  was  refused  a  seat  and  went 
back  to  get  himself  re-elected,  does  he 
belong  to  the  criminal  classes?  Do  the 
men  in  high  position  in  our  financial 
centers  who  take  funds  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan  and  squander  them  in 
gambling,  men  of  eminent  respectability 
and  social  standing,  do  they  belong  to 
the  criminal  classes?  Do  the  men  that 
take  insurance  funds  and  manipulate 
them  to  secure  illegitimate  profits  for 
themselves,  do  they  belong  to  the  crim- 
inal classes?  Surely  but  one  answer 
can  be  returned.  It  is  not  time  yet  to 
take  "Thou  shalt  not  steal"  down  from 
our  churches.  It  would  not  be  a  bad 
plan  to  put  it  on  our  mercantile  ex- 
changes  and   in   our   factories. 

How  then  about  "Thou  shalt  not 
kill?"  A  federal  judge  in  the  south  last 
year  reported  the  number  of  mobs  that 
had  taken  place  in  the  United  States 
within  the  year  and  the  figures  showed 
that  there  was  a  greater  disregard  in  the 
United  States  for  life  than  in  any  other 
civilized  country  on  the  globe.  In  the 
greatest  battle  of  modern  times,  the  bat- 
tle of  Moukden,  ninety  thousand  men 
were  killed,  wounded  or  missing  from 
the  Russian  army  when  the  battle  was 
eaded.  In  the  year  that  closed  on  the 
15th  of  June,  1904,  ninety-four  thousand 
men  were  killed  or  wounded  by  Ameri- 
can railways.  More  men  were  killed 
and  wounded  by  American  railways  in 
one  year  than  were  killed  and  wounded 
in  the  Russian  ranks  in  the  greatest 
battle  of  modern  times.  I  think  we 
still  need  "Thou  shalt  not  kill"  preached 
occasionally. 

"Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."  I 
do  not  know  what  the  figures  are  now, 
but  twenty  years  ago,  in  this  Puritan 
state  of  Connecticut,  there  was  one  di- 
vorce in  every  nine  marriages,  and  yet 
you  do  not  keep  at  the  head  of  the 
procession.  In  some  Western  states 
there  is  one  divorce  for  every  four  or 
five  marriages.  Some  American  humor- 
ist stated  the  truth  in  satire  when  he 
said  that  "the  difference  between 
the  Mormon  and  the  average  American 
was  that  one  drove  his  wives  abreast 
nd  the  other  tandem?"  Do  we  not  have 
reason  to  think  that  "Thou  shalt  not 
commit  adultery"  still  should  be  taught? 
As   to  bearing  false   witness :      Do  you 


remember  how  great  and  supposedly 
reputable  houses  in  Chicago  have  been 
sending  out  their  cans  of  meat  having 
printed  on  them,  "Guaranteed  by  the 
Government,"  when  the  government 
knew  nothing  whatever  as  to  the  con- 
tents  of   the    cans? 

I  think,  my  friends,  that  these  dis- 
embodied Puritans  looking  on  this 
country  of  ours  would  recommend  a 
renewal  of  preaching  upon  those  old 
statutes.  Thou  shalt  reverence  the 
Lord  thy  God,  Thou  shalt  keep  one  day 
holy.  Thou  shalt  honor  thy  parents. 
Thou  shalt  not  steal.  Thou  shalt  not 
kill.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery, 
and  Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness. 
If  it  be  true  that  these  are  the  laws  of 
the  social  order;  if  it  be  true  that  they 
are  not  mere  statements  of  lalw  by 
Moses,  that  they  are  not  mere  edicts 
issued  by  God,  but  that  they  are  the 
laws  of  God's  own  nature,  then,  if  these 
violations  of  law  are  allowed  to  go  on, 
what  must  the  end  be?  It  means  decay, 
dissolution,  the  disintegration  of  the 
community,  and  a  relapse  into  moral 
barbarism. 

If  it  be  true  that  the  laws  of  man 
are  the  nature  of  man,  and  the  laws  of 
the  social  order  are  the  nature  of  soci- 
ety, then  liberty  cannot  be  exemption 
from  law,  for  society  cannot  be  exempt 
from  its  own  nature.  There  are  three 
relations  in  which  man  can  stand  to  law ; 
First,  he  may  disregard  it.  Second,  he 
may    obey    it.        Third    he    may    use    it. 

He  may  disregard  it.  A  man  eats 
whatever  he  likes  and  gets  the  dyspep- 
sia. This  is  disregard  of  law.  He  goes 
to  the  doctor,  the  doctor  tells  him  what 
he  can  eat  and  what  he  cannot  eat,  and 
reluctantly,  he  obeys  and  takes  what  is 
prescribed  for  him.  Now  he  is  obeying 
the  law  of  nature.  Then  he  becomes 
ambitious  to  be  an  athlete,  goes  to 
some  one  conversant  with  the  science  of 
physical  culture  and  asks.  What  shall  I 
do  to  acquire  the  strongest  physical  or- 
ganism possible?  The  physical  culturist 
prescribes  a  course  of  training,  and  he 
enters  upon  it.  This  is  using  law.  In  the 
first  instance  he  disregards  the  law.  In 
the  second  instance  he  obeys  it.  In  the 
third  instance  he  uses  human  knowledge 
of  the  law  for  self  development.  The 
Japanese  are  a  little  race,  a  little  over  five 
feet  high  on  the  average.  Their  surgeon- 
general  discovered  that  they  were  as 
high  from  the  hips  up  as  other  people, 
that  their  smallness  of  stature  was  from 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERlDEN. 


/ 


the  hips  down,  and  he  conceived  the 
notion  that  this  was  because  they  fol- 
lowed the  custom  of  sitting  on  their 
heels  instead  of  sitting  in  chairs.  So  he 
put  his  children  under  an  instructor 
who  required  that  the\'  should  sit  in 
chairs,  and  as  a  result,  every  one  of  his 
children  is  six  feet  high.  Now  the  Jap- 
anese require  all  the  pupils  to  sit  in 
chairs  in  the  public  schools.  They  are 
not  merely  obeying  the  law.  They  are 
using  their  knowledge  of  the  law  to  de- 
velop the  human  race.  That  is  libert}', 
and  nothing  less  than  that  is  liberty.  It 
is  not  liberty  to  disregard  law.  It  is 
liberty  to  make  the  law  an  instru- 
ment for  spiritual,  moral  and  physical 
development.  We  all  understand  and  in 
some  measure  use  this  liberty  in  the 
physical  realm.  The  other  day  some 
cattle  gathered  under  a  tree  here  in 
Meriden  in  a  thunder  storm.  The  tree 
was  struck  by  lightning  and  the  cattle 
were  killed.  They  did  not  know  enough 
of  law  to  shun  the  dangerous  shelter, 
and  they  paid  the  penalty  for  their  ig- 
norant disregard  of  law.  We  put  light- 
ning conductors  on  our  houses  to  draw 
off  the  lightning,  so  that  we  may  sit  in 
safety.  The  bolt  passes  by.  We  have 
gotten  far  enough  advanced  to  know 
how  to  escape  the  danger  of  electricity. 
We  obey  the  law  and  are  safe.  Some- 
one discovered  that  the  world  itself  is 
a  great  dynamo.  Attach  this  dynamo 
with  proper  appliances,  and  we  may  use 
it  to  run  our  trolley  cars  and  light  our 
churches.  We  are  now  using  the  law 
and  by  obeying  it  we  make  it  our  ser- 
vant. 

What  would  be  the  message  of  these 
Puritans  to  us  men  and  women  in  the 
twentieth  century  respecting  liberty  and 
law?  I  think  it  would  be  something 
like  this :  Children  of  the  Puritans, 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  men  of 
strong  faith  and  strong  courage,  we  made 
a  mistake  in  saying  that  only  church 
members  should  vote.  We  made  a  mis- 
take in  thinking  that  we  could  keep  pol- 
itics pure  by  denying  the  suffrage  to 
men  who  did  not  believe  our  creed,  and 
did  not  participate  in  our  worship.  But 
you  will  make  a  much  greater  mistake 
if  you  members  of  orthodox  churches 
in  good  and  regular  standing  stay  away 
from  the  polls  and  leave  the  others  to 
carry  on  the  government.  I  think  that 
is  what  they  would  say,  and  I  think 
they  would  be  right. 

The  Old  Testament  contains  a  story* 
which  I  think  explains  the  secret  of  cor- 


ruption in  American  politics.  It  is  a 
short  one.  "The  trees  went  forth  on  a 
time  to  anoint  a  king  over  them,  and 
they  said  unto  the  olive  tree,  reign  over 
us.  But  the  olive  tree  said  unto  them, 
should  I  leave  my  fatness  wherewith  by 
me  they  honor  God  and  man,  and  go  to 
be  promoted  over  the  trees?  And  the 
trees  said  to  the  fig  tree,  come  thou, 
and  reign  over  us.  But  the  fig  trees 
said  unto  them,  should  I  forsake  my 
sweetness  and  my  good  fruit,  and  go  to 
be  promoted  over  the  trees?  Then  said 
the  trees  unto  the  vine,  come  thou 
reign  over  us.  And  the  vine  said,  unto 
them,  should  I  leave  my  wine  which 
cheereth  God  and  man.  and  go  to  be 
promoted  over  the  trees  ?  Then  said  all 
the  trees  unto  the  vine.  Come  thou 
and  reign  over  us?"  That  is  what  we 
have  been  doing.  We  have  been  busy 
with  our  factories ;  with  our  counting- 
rooms  and  class-rooms ;  with  our  homes 
and  our  private  families,  and  we  have 
said  that  we  wanted  nothing  to  do  with 
politics.  We  have  practicallj-  and  some- 
times formally  said  that  it  is  bet- 
ter to  pay  unjust  taxes  than  it  is  to 
spend  the  time  to  go  out  and  struggle 
against  corruption.  We  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  saying,  I  cannot  leave  my 
vine,  and  my  olives,  and  my  figs  to  go 
and  rule  over  the  trees,  and  therefore, 
bramble,  come  thou  and  reign  over  us. 
It  is  our  fault  if  he  has  come.  It  is 
often  said  that  the  best  men  in  America 
take  no  interest  in  politics.  That  is  not 
true.  The  worst  men  in  America  are 
the  men  who  refuse  to  take  an  interest 
in  politics.  Men  of  the  church,  men  of 
high  station,  should  take  part,  and  the 
more  influential  a  man  is,  the  more  in- 
telligent and  the  higher  his  standing,  the 
worse  citizen  he  is  if  he  fails  to  do  so. 
If  he  is  a  citizen  of  this  nation  and 
takes  no  part  towards  making  it  a  bet- 
ter, more  noble,  more  worthy  nation  in 
which  to  live,  the  worse  citizen  he  is. 
Look  across  the  ocean.  See  what  those 
men  are  doing  and  suffering  in  Russia 
in  order  that  they  may  get  some  share 
in  the  government,  and  think  then  what 
it  means.  Oh,  think  what  it  means  for 
us  if  the  powers  and  the  privileges 
which  our  fathers  won  for  us  by  bloody 
battles  in  England,  and  by  privation  and 
suffering  here  upon  this  soil,  are  not 
handed  on  to  our  posterity,  and  if  we 
who  have  taken  this  scepter  lay  it  down 
and  say  we  are  too  busy  with  our  figs 

♦Judges    9:    8-15. 


72 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


REV.    I.    NEWTON    PHELPS,  REV.  A.  DE  SIMONE, 

Pastor  All   Saints'   Church.  Pastor  Our  Lady  of  Mt.  Carmel  Church 


1 

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REV.    N.    F.   X.    SNEIDER, 
Pastor   St.   Marv's   Church. 


REV.   A.   VAN   OPPEN, 
Pastor   St.   Laurent's  Church. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


73 


and  our  vines,  and  our  olives,  to  take 
an  interest  in  public  affairs  in  order 
that  we  may  pass  on  to  our  sons  what 
our  fathers  gave  to  us. 

I  wish  I  had  the  power  to  depict  the 
faith  of  the  Puritans  whom  I  believe  to 
be  sharing  in  this  great  week.  I  wish 
I  had  the  power  to  interpret  their  faith 
and  their  conscience.  I  think  at  least 
their  message  would  be  something  like 
this :  We  have  given  you  the  power  of 
leadership.  Use  it.  We  pointed  to  the 
book  which  contains  the  best  epitome  of 
the  social  order.  Use  it.  We  have  in- 
terpreted to  you  the  foundation  and 
source  of  authority :  law  written  in 
man's  nature,  and  law  written  in  God's 
nature.  The  seat  of  law,  says  Hooker, 
is  the  bosom  of  Almighty  God.  With 
reverence  for  that  God,  with  faith  in 
that  law,  with  an  understanding  of  the 
application  of  that  law  to  our  own  times 
and  exigencies,  and  with  a  realization 
of  the  power  which  liberty  has  given  us 
in  these  latter  days  to  use  that  law  for 
upbuilding  of  our  country  and  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the  world,  it  is  for  us, 
spiritual  heirs  of  the  Puritans,  to  build 
up  a  theocracy  in  America,  founded  not 
on  church  membership,  not  on  clerical- 
ism, but  on  faith  in  the  immediate  pres- 
ence of  Almighty  God  in  the  hearts  and 
consciences  and  lives  of  all  his  children. 


and    Mrs.    Ashley,    Mrs.   R.    C.    Tongue 
was  present.  Refreshments  were  served. 


Rev.  Mr.  Randall : — Let  us  stand  and 
sing  Hymn  1897 : 

"My  Countr}',  'tis  of  Thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty. 
Of  Thee  I  sing." 

Rev.  J.  C.  Wagner  of  Trinity  M. 
E.  church,  gave  the  benediction,  after 
which  Mr.  Marble  played  the  postlude, 
Hosanna,  by  Wachs. 


ALL  SAINTS'. 

Rev.  A.  Sprague  Ashley,  of  the  Holy 
Innocents'  church,  Albany,  N.  Y., 
preached  the  Centennial  Sunday  sermon 
at  All  Saints'  Memorial  church  to  a 
large  audience.  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley  was 
the  first  rector  of  All  Saints'  parish, 
and  Saturday  evening  at  the  parish 
house  the  Ladies'  guild  tendered  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ashley  a  reception.  The  rooms 
were  prettily  decorated  with  flags,  bunt- 
ing  and    handsome    rugs.     Besides    Mr. 


ST.  PAUL'S. 

At  St.  Paul's  Universalist  church  Rev. 
J.  H.  Holden  preached  an  interesting 
sermon,  taking  for  his  subject,  "A  Cen- 
tury of  Religious  Progress." 

A  special  musical  programme  was 
rendered  by  the  choir,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Organist  G.  G.  Marble. 


ST.  ANDREW'S 

Rector  A.  T.  Randall  at  St.  Andrew's 
church  at  the  10 130  o'clock  services 
preached  a  very  interesting  historical 
sermon,  describing  the  organization  and 
growth  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Meri- 
den.  The  sermon  was  listened  to  by  a 
very  large  congregation. 

Special  music  was  rendered  by  the 
full  vested  choir.  The  altar,  pulpit  and 
lectern  were  prettily  decorated  with  cut 
flowers  and  ferns.  At  7  o'clock  in  the 
evening  the  annual  Trinity  Sunday  ser- 
vice for  the  Sunday  school  was  held  in 
the  church. 


ST.  LAURENT'S. 

At  both  the  services  at  St.  Laurent's 
church  Sunday  morning  Rev.  A.  van 
Oppen  delivered  an  interesting  sermon. 
At  the  high  mass  at  10  o'clock  a  special 
musical  programme  by  an  augmented 
choir  and  orchestra  was  rendered. 
Cherubini's  Coronation  Mass  with  the 
Credo  from  ]\Iozart"s  Twelfth  Mass  was 
sung. 


ST.  MARY'S. 
The  Centennial  services  at  St.  Mary's 
church  was  largely  attended  Sunday 
morning,  an  excellent  musical  pro- 
gramme was  rendered  and  an  interest- 
ing sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Clem- 
ent Raab,  of  Butler,  N.  Y. 


OUR   LADY   OF   MT.   CARMEL. 

The  Centennial  Sunday  services  at 
Our  Lady  of  Mt.  Carmel  church  were 
largely  attended.  A  low  mass  was  cele- 
brated at  8  a.  m.,  for  the  children  of  the 
school  and  church  and  at  10 130  a.  m.,  a 
high  mass  for  the  religious  and  secular 
societies  connected  with  the  church.  At 
vespers  at  7  :30  in  the  evening  a  special 


74 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


REV.   A.   J.   LORD, 
Pastor    First    Congregational    Church. 


y^-^.-...'iM.\.  ,    -jr-.iixi^ 


REV.   J.   H.   HOLDEN, 
Pastor    Universalist    Church. 


REV.    A.    T.    RANDALL. 
Pastor    St.     .-\ndrcw"s     Cliurcli. 


REV.  J.   H.  GRANT, 
Pastor    Center    Congregational    Church. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


75 


sermon  was  preached  b}-  Gaetana  Caruti, 
of  Bridgeport.  At  the  high  mass  there 
was  a  special  programme  of  music  by 
an  augmented  choir  and  orchestra.  The 
masses  were  celebrated  by  F"ather  De 
Simone. 


HOLY  ANGELS'. 
Rev.     James    W.     Cunningham     cele- 
brated  the  high  mass  at  the   Holy  An- 
gels'   church,    South    Meriden,    on    Cen- 
tennial    Sunday.        The     services     were 


largely  attended.  The  church  was  hand- 
somely decorated  for  the  occasion.  An 
excellent  musical  programme  was  ren- 
dered. 


ST.  STANISLAUS'. 

At  St.  Stanislaus'  church  the  Cen- 
tennial Sunday  services  were  attended 
by  large  congregations.  The  societies 
of  the  parish  attended  the  10:30  o'clock 
mass  in  a  bodv. 


GERMAN  CATHOLIC  CONVENTION 


The  state  convention  of  the  feder- 
ation of  German  Catholics  opened  Sun- 
day morning  with  the  following  dele- 
gates present : 

Meriden — St.  Bonifacius'  society — John 
Morenz,  John  Kopiske,  John  Gordel, 
William  Laskofski,  Vincent  Wollsch- 
lager,  Joseph  Afifelt,  Gustave  Hoffman, 
Bernard  Bucholz. 

Windhorst  society — Martin  S.  Lemke, 
Andrew  Reiske,  John  Sieg  and  Freder- 
ick Isbanner. 

New  Haven. — St.  Bonifacius'  society 
— William  Mus'ark,  Joseph  Haegele,  Jos- 
eph Droege,  William  Klaus,  George 
Bahr,  Adam  Liebteig,  Jacob  Kuehn, 
Michael  Etzel,  Leo  Misbach,  Bernhard 
Wirkus,  Anton  Rorrer,  Joseph  Der- 
bacher. 

Hartford. — St.  Stephen's  society — Carl 
Felder,  Carl  Hess,  Albert  Frobel. 

New  Britain.1 — St.  Peter's  society — 
Emil  Krause,  Engelbert  Mueller,  Wil- 
liam   Smith,    John    Schilling. 

Bridgeport — St.  Joseph's  society — 
Anton  Wagner,  Anton  Harb,  Franz 
Rumse,  Willhelm  Koch. 

St.  Michael's  society — John  Schwing, 
Joseph   Metzger. 

Waterbury — Holy  Family  society — 
John  F.  Schell,  Otto  A.  Harrmann, 
William  H.  Siefen,  John  J.  Faix. 

Wtillingford. — St.  Francis'  society — 
Albert   Hoffman,  August   Post. 

Naugatuck — Holy  Family  society — 
William  Froehlich. 

Bristol — St.  Joseph's  society — Eugene 
Blum. 

Derby. — St.  Joseph's  society — Carl 
Weindrack. 


Torrington. — St.  Joseph's  society — 
Clements  Froeliger,  Theodore  Zander. 

The  delegates  marched  in  a  body 
from  the  State  street  headquarters  to 
St.  Mary's  church,  where  Rev.  Father 
Schneider,  the  pastor,  celebrated  high 
mass.  Special  music  had  been  arranged 
for  the  occasion,  and  the  singing  of  the 
well-drilled   choir   was   particularly   fine. 

Rev.  Clement  Raab,  O.  F.  M.,  of  But- 
ler, N.  J.,  preached  the  sermon  and  he 
referred  in  a  special  manner  to  the 
close  relationship  which  should  exist 
between  the  German  Catholic  societies 
and  the  church  itself,  as  they  are  an  in- 
tegral part  of  the  parish.  St.  Boni- 
facius' society  of  this  city  came  in  for 
due  praise  in  honor  of  its  silver  jubi- 
lee and  the  good  work  accomplished 
during  its  twenty-five  years  of  exist- 
ence. 

In  the  afternoon  the  opening  session 
of  the  convention  was  held,  and  most 
of  the  work  consisted  in  getting  out  of 
the  way  the  routine  business  planned 
by  the  executive  committee  at  the  pre- 
liminary meeting  Saturday  evening. 
State  President  George  Jacob,  of  New 
Haven,  was  chosen  delegate  to  the  na- 
tional convention  which  will  be  held  in 
Springfield,  O.,  next  September. 

FINE   CONCERT   GIVEN. 

Company  L  armory  was  crowded  in 
the  evening  on  the  occasion  of  the  con- 
cert given  in  honor  of  the  delegates, 
and  the  programme  was  most  elaborate. 
Bishop  Tierney  was  present  and  his  re- 
marks were  very  cordially  received.  He 
referred  to  the  gala  appearance  of  the 


7^ 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


city  and  hoped  that  all  would  enter 
thoroughly  into  the  spirit  of  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration.  Mayor  T.  L.  Reilly 
in  his  address  of  welcome  extended  the 
freedom  of  the  city  to  the  delegates  and 
the  visiting  societies  to  the  German 
Catholic  state  gatherings.  Addresses 
which  called  out  much  applause  were 
made  by  Rev.  Clement  Raab,  mission- 
ary priest  of  Butler,  N.  J.,  who  spoke 
on  "The  German  Catholics  of  This 
Country."  and  Professor  Sarg,  of  Eliz- 
abeth, N.  J.,  the  state  secretary  of  the 
New  Jersey  German  Catholics,  who  out- 
lined the  work  of  German  Catholic  soci- 
eties. 


GEORGE    JACOB,    President. 

There  were  bright  gems  of  oratory, 
which  sparkled  all  through  the  pro- 
gramme, including  addresses  by  Rev. 
A.  van  Oppen,  of  St.  Laurent's  church, 
and  first  pastor  of  the  German  Catho- 
lics; Rev.  Father  Schneider,  of  St. 
Mary's;  President  Jacob,  of  the  state 
convention ;  President  John  Kopiske,  of 
St.  Bonifacius'  society;  vocal  and  instru- 
mental music  was  interspersed,  St. 
Mary's  Choral  club  of  forty  rendering 
some  splendid  selections,  while  solos 
were  given  by  Miss  Cecelia  Kopiske. 
John  Hergert  and  Charles  Faith.  Lyons' 


orchestra  of  seven  pieces  was  an  added 
feature. 

THREE  JUBILEE  GIFTS. 

Not  down  on  the  regular  programme 
was  the  presentation  of  three  gifts  to 
St.  Bonifacius'  society  in  honor  of  the 
latter's  silver  jubilee,  which  came  this 
year  in  connection  with  the  Centennial 
celebration.  The  first  was  a  silver 
wreath  from  St.  Bonifacius'  society,  of 
New  Haven,  the  presentation  by  John 
Haigle.  Next  came  a  picture,  represent- 
ing St.  Bonifacius,  from  the  Windhorst 
society,  Martin  Lemke  making  the  pres- 
entation, and  a  silver  loving  cup  was 
presented  by  St.  Peter's  society,  of  New 
Britain,  Engelbert  Mueller  accompany- 
ing the  gift  with  appropriate  remarks. 

John  Morenz,  chairman  of  the  general 
committee,  who  introduced  the  different 
speakers  at  the  entertainment,  received 
the  presents  on  behalf  of  St.  Bonifacius' 
society  with  a  neat  speech  in  each  in- 
stance. Altogether  it  was  one  of  the 
most  enjoyable  occasions  of  the  kind 
ever  held  in  connection  with  the  state 
convention  of  the  German  Catholics. 

ELECTION   OF   OFFICERS. 

Monday  morning  the  closing  session 
was  held  in  K.  of  C.  hall  and  everything 
was  done  with  dispatch  in  order  that 
the  delegates  might  have  plent}'  of  time 
to  prepare  for  the  afternoon  exercises. 

The  election  of  officers  was  the  chief 
business,  resulting  as  follows : 

President — George  Jacob,  New  Ha- 
ven. 

Vice  president — William  Froehlich, 
Naugatuck. 

Secretary — Joseph  Dubacher,  New  Ha- 
ven. 

Treasurer — Carl  Felder,   Hartford. 

Chaplain — Rev.  H.  Dahme,  Bridge- 
port. 

Professor  Frederick  Sarg,  state  secre- 
tary of  the  German  Catholics  of  New 
Jersey,  was  made  an  honorary  member 
of  the   Connecticut   federation. 

It  was  decided  to  hold  the  next  state 
convention  for  1907  in  Naugatuck. 

PARADE   AND    PICNIC. 

Promptly  on  time  the  parade  formed 

on  State  street  Monday  afternoon,  and 

the  column  moved  soon  after  i  o'clock, 

made   up   in   this   order : 

Platoon    of    Police,    Sergeant    Thayer, 

Officers  Kimball,  Tolles,  Puffer 

and    Pintal. 

Meriden   Military  band. 

State   officers   and   delegates. 


DENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


77 


St.  Bonifacius'  society,  of  Meriden. 

Windhorst  society,  of  Meriden. 

New   Britain  societ}'. 

Hartford  society. 

National   band,   Wallingford. 

St.  Francis'  society,  Wallingford. 

St.    Mary's   Catholic   club,   Meriden. 

New   Haven  and   Bristol   societies. 

John  Lang  was  the  mounted  mar- 
shal, and  acting  for  Grand  Marshal 
John  Lorenz  was  Joseph   Semrau. 

The  line  of  march  was  from  State 
to  East  Main  as  far  as  Willow,  coun- 
termarch to  Colony  as  far  as  Home 
club,  countermarch  to  West  Main  to 
Linsley  avenue,  to  Hanover,  to  Ter- 
race Garden,  where  was  started  the 
picnic,  which  was  continued  into  the 
night,  with  music,  dancing,  refreshments 
and  a  jolly  good  time  for  everybody. 

John  Lorenz  was  the  grand  marshal 
of  the  parade  and  his  aids  were  Joseph 
Semrau,  Fred  Isbaner  and  Joseph  Karl. 
The  visiting  societies  appointed  their 
own   aids. 

St.  Mary's  club  appointed  the  follow- 
ing reception  committee  to  entertain 
the  delegates :  George  Schilke,  Frank 
Wollschlager,  Frank  Weigand.  Charles 
Schlayer,  John  A.  Missik,  Robert 
Spraffke  and  Theodore  Uttenweiler. 

The  committee  of  arrangements  for 
the  convention  and  celebration  was 
made  up  of  John  Morenz,  chairman ; 
Martin  Lemke,  secretary ;  Andrew 
Reiske,  treasurer;  John  Goerdel,  John 
Kapichke,  John  Wollschlager,  flenry 
Wollschlager,  Jacob  Patzke.  Ferderick 
Islaner,  John  C.  Sieg,  Lorenz  Lirot, 
Dennis  Buttner,  Joseph  Semrau,  John 
Herger   and  Joseph  Riedinger. 

THE  STATE  ORGANIZATION. 
It  was  nineteen  years  ago  that  the 
Staats  Verband  was  formed  in  New 
Haven,  composed  of  societies  in  New 
Haven,  Bridgeport.  Meriden  and  New 
Britain.  The  chief  object  in  institut- 
ing the  state  organization  was  to  form 
new  societies  of  German  Catholics  in 
other  cities  and  towns  of  Connecticut. 
The  second  convention  was  held  in 
Meriden  the  following  year,  1888,  and 
for  the  second  time  the  German  Cath- 
olics  convened   here   in    1895. 

ST.    BONIFACIUS'    SOCIETY. 
Meriden   has   one   of   the   oldest   Ger- 
man   Catholic    societies    in    Connecticut. 
It   is    St.    Bonifacius'    society,   that   was 
organized  in  1882,  and  that  was  in  re- 


ality the  precurser  of  the  local  German 
Catholic  parish,  known  as  St.  Mary's. 
In  1880  the  late  Bishop  McMahon 
sent  Rev.  Father  van  Oppen  here  to 
look  after  the  French  and  the  German 
Catholics,  but  the  latter  were  not  sat- 
isfied with  the  bishop's  arrangements, 
and  so  the  burden  of  building  St.  Lau- 
rent's church  rested  on  the  French 
Catholics,  though  the  Germans  attended 
mass  there  for  several  years.  In  1890 
Rev.  Ignatius  Kost  was  sent  here  to 
minister   to   the   German   Catholics   and 


JOHN    F.    MORENZ.    Grand    Marshal. 

the  following  year  the  present  St. 
Mary's   church   was   built. 

From  the  time  of  organization  in 
1882  St.  Bonifacius'  society  strove  hard 
to  keep  the  local  German  Catholics 
united.  There  were  twenty  members 
at  first,  and  of  the  pioneer  band  there 
are  but  five  survivors — John  Kopiski, 
Martin  Sadroschinsky,  Jacob  Patzke, 
John  Dumachofske  and  August  Zeilke, 
The  first  president  was  Pius  Loeffier, 
who  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  most 
respected  of  the  local  German  residents 
and  who  passed  away  a  few  years  ago. 

The  society  continued  to  increase  in 
numbers  year  by  year,  until  the  mem- 
bership   reached    152.     It    has    paid    out 


78 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


a  large  amount  in  sick  benefits  to  the 
members  and  has  always  been  a  valu- 
able adjunct  in  building  up  St.  Mary's 
parish.     The  present  officers   are : 

President — John   Kopiski   . 

Vice    president — John    Wollschlager. 

Recording    secretarj' — Martin    Lemke. 

Financial  secretary — John  Morenz. 

Treasurer — Andrew    Reiske. 

THE   WINDHORST. 

Another    local    organization,    enrolled 
in  the  state  body,  is  the  Windhorst  so- 


ciety that  was  instituted  about  ten  years 
ago,  with  sick  benefits  as  its  main  ob- 
ject. Many  of  St.  Bonifacius'  members 
also  belong  to  the  Windhorst  society. 
The  membership  at  present  is  in  the 
neighborhood  of  sixty.  It  has  the  fol- 
lowing officers  : 

President — Martin   Lemke. 
Vice    president — John    Siek. 
Recording    and    financial    secretary — 
Andrew  Reiske. 

Treasurer — Joseph   Riedinger. 


TURNER  HALL,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


79 


\ 


TWENTY-FOURTH   TURN    BEZIRKS   TURNFEST 


The  twenty-fourth  Turn  Bezirks 
Turnfest,  which  opened  on  Sunday 
continued  through  Monday  and  closed 
on  Tuesday.  It  was  held  both  at 
Turner  hall  and  Schuetzen  park  and 
in  the  matter  of  work,  attendance  and 
enthusiasm  was  one  of  the  best  and 
most  successful  that  has  been  held  by 
the  bezirks  in  many  years.  Gray-haired 
men  whose  grandsons  took  part  in  the 
contests,  declared  that  the  scenes  and 
attendance  recalled  the  good  old  days 
when  the  fests  were  visited  by  people 
from   all  the   New   England   states. 

It  certainly  was  a  sight  that  would 
enthuse  Turner  or  any  person  inter- 
ested in  athletics.  Early  on  Sunday, 
about  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the 
contests,  there  were  comparatively  few 
people  other  than  those  who  were  to 
take  part  in  the  several  events,  at 
Schuetzen  park.  But  as  the  day  grew 
older  and  the  sun  sent  the  power  of 
his  rays  on  the  backs  of  men's  necks 
hundreds  sought  the  cool  shades  of  the 
park,  and,  then  in  ease  and  comfort, 
watched  the  athletes  at  work  on  the 
sun  baked  field  near  the  headquarters 
of  the  Meriden  Rifle  club.  A  large 
number  of  these  men  were  not  alone ; 
persons  do  not  enjoy  themselves  that 
way.  They  were  accompanied  by  their 
wives  and  children  and  it  was  a  com- 
mon sight  to  run  across  family  picnics 
in  all  parts  of  the  grove. 

The  fakir  was  there.  He  had  the 
scent  of  the  coin  in  his  nostrils  and 
the  earliest  arrival  found  him  in  the 
park,  ready  for  businjess.  When  he 
packed  up  late  in  the  afternoon  it  was 
only  because  he  was  driven  from  the 
grounds  with  the  others  by  the  sudden 
and  severe  storm.  He  went  away  with 
pockets  heavy  with  coin  which  he  had 
•exchanged  for  badges  and  souvenirs  of 
all  sorts  and  sizes. 

Everybody  was  not  courting  with 
fickle  Dame  Fortune.  There  were  other 
things  that  were  of  more  interest  and 
of  which  they  were  sure  that  at  least 
they    would    get    their    money's    worth. 


They  were  the  contests  that  were  con- 
stantly going  on  on  the  athletic  field. 
And  it  was  a  sight  well  worth  travel- 
ing a  long  distance  to  see.  In  the  cen- 
ter was  placed  a  horizontal  bar.  At  one 
side  was  a  long  leather  covered  ap- 
paratus that  looked  not  unlike  a  dried 
porpoise  stuck  on  four  wooden  legs. 
On  the  opposite  field  was  another,  only 
it  had  handles  on  the  back.  It  was 
learned  that  the  first  was  the  "long 
horse"  and  the  porpoise  with  the 
handles  on  its  back  the  "side  horse." 
A  short  distance  from  the  side  horse 
were  the  parallel  bars.  The  novice 
knew  what  they  were  so  he  asked  no 
questions. 

When  all  was  in  readiness  the  word 
was  given,  the  classes  from  Meriden, 
Holyoke,  New  Britain,  Hartford,  Wa- 
terbury  and  New  Haven  summoned  and 
the  judges,  Messrs.  Klee.  Elizabeth,  N. 
J.,  Knorr,  Lawrence,  Mass.,  Miller, 
Hartford,  Stable,  Brooklyn,  and  Weber, 
of  Windsor  Locks,  took  their  places 
and  the  contests  were  opened.  From 
that  moment  there  was  something  do- 
ing on  the  field  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon. The  work  of  every  individual 
was  closely  watched  and  then  some 
kind  of  a  figure  was  placed  opposite  his 
or  her  name. 

There  were  two  pretty  sights  in  the 
park  during  the  day.  Three  little  girls, 
Jessie  and  Vivian  Stroebel  and  Flor- 
ence Davis,  whose  parents  reside  in 
this  city,  were  dressed  in  red,  white 
and  blue,  and  they  were  the  objects  of 
great  admiration.  There  was  another 
group  of  little  misses  ranging  from 
eight  to  fourteen  years,  who  came  from 
Waterbury.  They  wore  blue  shirt 
waists  and  bloomers  and  black  stock- 
ings. They  were  Freda  Miller,  Minnie 
Buck,  Mary  Shober,  Margaret  Borchar, 
Lizzie  Newbert,  Mildred  Darr,  Clara 
Weiss.  Earna  Cramer,  Mark  Cramer, 
and  Mary  Richenback.  They  accom- 
panied their  parents  and  about  200  oth- 
ers from  Waterbury.  In  the  afternoon 
thev  gave  an  exhibition  on  the  field  that 


8o 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


was  greeted  with  loud  and  repeated  ap- 
plause. It  was  a  fine  illustration  of 
what  the  German  believes  in — a  thor- 
ough and  systematic  training  of  the 
body    from    childhood. 

In  addition  to  the  large  body  from 
Waterbury,  Hartford  sent  about  150  of 
both  sexes  to  cheer  its  team.  Three 
hundred  came  frim  New  Britain,  about 


FRKD  WEBKR, 
President    Turner    Society. 

150  from  II()l\okc  and  the  same  num- 
ber came  up  from  New  Haven. 

At  the  close  of  the  class  work  and 
social  events  there  were  ma^^s  exer- 
cises on  the  field  by  the  combined 
Turners,  accompanied  by  the  Meridcn 
City  band.  This  was  an  imposing 
sight,  every  man  working  as  though 
controlled  by  an  invisible  wire. 

Then  something  happened  that  was 
not  down  on  the  bill  and  one  person 
received  the  surprise  of  his  life.  To 
Herman  L.  Kraemer,  instructor  of  the 
Meriden  Turn  Verein  was  much  of  the 
success  of  the  feat  due.  He  labored 
hard  during  the  year  to  bring  the  fest 
back  to  its  old  time  prestige  and  his 
labors  were  not  in  vain.  He  was  sum- 
moned to  the  center  of  the  field  facing 
the   massed    Turners    and   then   Charles 


Heineman  in  behalf  of  the  Meriden 
Turn  Verein  presented  him  a  hand- 
some, open  faced,  split  second  gold 
watch.  To  say  that  he  was  surprised 
is  expressing  it  mildly;  he  could  only 
look.  Finally  he  recovered  his  com- 
posure and  in  a  voice  choked  with 
emotion    expressed    his    thanks. 

The  concert  which  was  given  in  Turn 
Hall  at  night  after  the  strenuous  work 
at  the  park  had  no  appreciable  effect  on 
the  Turners  Early  Monday  morning 
they  assembled  at  the  hall  on  Pratt 
street  ready  and  willing  for  a  long 
hike  through  the  streets  in  the  parade 
to  the  park  and  there  took  part  in  an- 
other da}  of  turning  A  better  day  for 
that  purpose  could  not  be  desired. 
Fleec\  clouds  chased  one  another  and 
a  strong  west  wind  tempered  the  heat 
to  a  great  extent  The  rain  of  the  pre- 
vious night  had  put  the  streets  in  good 


R.  W.  MUELLER, 
Treasurer   Turner   Society. 

condition  and  no  dust  was  kicked  up  by 
the  marchers. 

Promply  at  the  hour  scheduled,  o 
o'clock,  the  line  of  parade  was  formed 
on  Pratt  street  at  Turn  hall.  It  did  not 
take  the  several  organizations  long  to 
get  into  line  and  Marshal  May  had  no 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


8i 


tedious  wait  for  some  delinquent.  He 
gave  the  signal,  there  was  a  preliminary 
muffle  of  the  snare  drum,  followed  by 
an  inspiring  march  step  by  the  Meri- 
den  City  band  and  the  procession  started 
on  this  route:  Pratt  to  East  Main, 
to  Willow  street,  countermarch  to  Col- 
ony, to  Washington,  countermarch  to 
West     Main,     to     Capitol     avenue,     to 


HERMAN   KRAEMER. 
Instructor   Turner   Society. 

Schuetzen  park.  It  was  a  hard  grind 
but  no  one  complained.  Even  the  girls 
stepped  off  as  braveh^  as  the  men  and 
they  made  a  pleasing  picture  in  their 
light  summer  gowns. 

The  streets  of  the  city  through  which 
the  parade  passed  were  crowded  and 
the  police  stationed  at  intervals  and  on 
the  corners  of  the  principal  streets  had 
their  hands  full  in  preventing  the  public 
from  encroaching  on  the  marchers.  All 
along  the  line  the  organizations  were 
greeted  with  clapping  of  hands  and 
cheers,  especially  the  women. 

Marshal  May  and  two  aides  headed 
the  parade.  He  was  followed  by  the 
Meriden  City  band  and  then  came  the 
boys'  class  of  the  Meriden  Turn  Verein. 
Following  were  the  Meriden  Verein 
with     Instructor     Kraemer     in     charge. 

6 


There  were  forty  men  and  twelve  girls 
and  then  came  fifty  of  the  old  fellows 
who  at  this  time  of  life  have  not  lost 
interest  in  the  verein.  Hartford  Turn 
Verein  had  twelve  men  and  twelve  wo- 
men in  line,  Holyoke  fifteen  men  and 
twenty  ladies.  New  Haven  twelve  men 
and  twelve  girls.  New  Britain  sixteen 
men  and  eight  women  and  Waterbury 
ten   men   and   twelve   girls. 

Then  came  the  Military  band  head- 
ing the  Meriden  Saengerbund  of  forty 
men,  with  the  Cosmopolitan  club  of 
thirty  men  next.  The  Meriden  Rifle 
club  had  twelve  men  in  line  and  the 
Lyra  Singing  society  had  thirty  men 
who  were  followed  by  twenty  men  of 
Meriden  lodge,  O.  D.  H.  S.,  whose  ban- 
ner was  followed  by  forty  men.  Teu- 
tonia  lodge,  I.  O.  O.  P.,  had  sixty  men 
in  the  ranks  and  they  were  followed  by 


C.   J.    HEI NEMAN, 
Chairman   General    Committee. 

twenty  men  of  Court  Schiller,  P.  of  A., 
and  an  equal  number  from  the  Work- 
ingmen's  Sick  and  Death  Benefit  society, 
the  German  Mutual  Aid  society  and  the 
Alsace-Lorraine   society. 

Immediately  after  the  parade  the 
turners  resumed  the  work  in  the  class 
events   and   this   was   followed   by   fenc- 


82 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


ing,  wrestling,  running  and  jumping. 
At  the  close  of  these  events  the  exhi- 
bition of  the  varied  exercises  in  the 
ladies'  classes  began.  This  apparently 
was  what  those  at  the  park  were  wait- 
ing for  and  as  soon  as  the  events  were 
called  the  field  was  surrounded  by  a 
throng  of  people.  The  ladies  were 
warmly  applauded  for  their  excellent 
work. 


MAX  LANGE, 
Treasurer    General    Committee. 

This  closed  the  work  of  the  twenty- 
fourth  turnfest  of  the  Connecticut  Turn 
Bezirks.  The  judges  and  the  auditing 
committee  went  into  session  and  at  5 
o'clock  the  prizes  and  diplomas  were 
awarded.  The  results  were  announced 
by  Paul  Stoeckel,  of  Hartford,  secretary 
of  the  State  Turn  Bezirk.  They  were 
as  follows : 

New  Britain,  first,  83.72  points;  Hol- 
yoke,  second,  83.63 ;  Hartford,  third, 
79.83;  Waterbury,  fourth,  79.76;  New 
Haven,  fifth,  77.58:  Meriden,  sixth, 
77.14;   Rockville,  seventh,  74.10. 

In  the  individual  work  on  apparatus, 
first  class,  usual  exercises,  these  awards 
were  made :  Rudolph  Zimmerman  New 
Britain,  72.52;  G.  Nyack,  New  Britain, 
72.20;   W.  Kossurg,  New  Britain,  71.55. 


Second  class — Difficult  exercises,  G. 
Engel,  New  Britain,  79.90;  Albert  En- 
gel,  Holyoke,  77.75 ;  Edward  Winger, 
New   Britain,   74.95. 

First  class — Most  difficult  exercises, 
Jacob  Rutrschauser,  Waterbury  Vor- 
wartz,  84.10;  H.  F.  Foster,  Holyoke, 
76.10;   Arthur   Kraus,   Holyoke,  76. 

In  the  field  sports  these  announce- 
ments were  male  by  Secretary  Stoeckel : 

First  class — Charles  Nyack,  New 
Britain,  13^70;  Rudolph  Zimmerrp(aa, 
New  Britain,  13.70;  Walter  Kossurg, 
New  Britain,  13.30;  P.  Pietsch,  Hart- 
ford,   11.50. 

Second  class— James  Parker,  Holy- 
oke, 18.90;  George  Engel,  New  Britain, 
18.90;  Christian  Volk,  New  Britain, 
16.70;    Albert   Bohne,    Holyoke,    16.30. 

Third  class — E.  W.  Hertig,  Hartford, 


G  .GEEHRING, 
Asst.    Sec'y    General    Committee. 

19-60;  W.  Riley,  New  Haven,  18.70;  E. 
Steinman,   Hartford,    17.10. 

Hop,  skip  and  jump — E.  Schaefer, 
Rockville,  9.70 ;  H.  Bohne,  Holyoke, 
9-50. 

Pole  vaulting — R.  Untendoefel,  Holy- 
oke, first  and  George  Engel,  New  Brit- 
ain, second. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


83 


Running  race — E.  Schaefer,  Rock- 
-ville,  first  and  A.  Bohne,  Holyoke,  sec- 
ond. 

For  individual  work,  first  class,  the 
awards  were  as  follows : 

Rudolph  Zimmerman,  New  Britain, 
64.5 ;  Walter  Kossurg,  New  Britain, 
63.25 ;  George  Nyack,  New  Britain, 
■62.50. 

Second     class — George     Engel,     New 


_  JOHN    BUKCHLER, 
Chairman  Reception  Committee. 

Britain,  70;  Albert  Engel,  Holyoke, 
68.75;  Harry  Heinzmann,  New  Britain, 
67;   H.  F.  Foster,  Holyoke,  66.50. 

The  Holyoke  turners  went  down  to 
defeat  before  the  New  Britain  Turn 
Verein  in  the  turnfest  which  closed 
with  a  grand  ball  and  concert  at  night 
in  Turner  hall.  The  contest  was  a  close 
one  and  the  losers  were  only  two- 
tenths  of  100  points  behind  the  victors. 
One  record  was  broken.  That  was 
when  Emil  Schaefer,  of  Rockville, 
made  9.70  in  the  broad  jump.  The  pre- 
vious Turner  record  was  8.10,  which 
until  then  had  never  been  equalled. 

COMMITTEE    IN    CHARGE. 
The  General  committee,  composed  of 
•Charles    J.    Heineman,    jr.,    chairman; 


John  Buechler,  treasurer;  Charles 
Linke,  first  secretary ;  Gotthold  Geehf- 
ing,  second  secretary;  Herman  Krae- 
mer,  William  Sehl,  Louis  Kraemer. 
Fred  Weber  and  Richard  F.  Dossin 
worked  on  the  details  of  the  festival  for 
many  weeks  and  feel  convinced  that  in 
point  of  attendance  and  interest,  this 
Turnfest  will  establish  a  precedent  for 
the  German  celebration  in  this  section 
of  New  England. 

HISTORY    OF    MERIDEN    TURN    VEREIN. 

The  Meriden  Turn  Verein  was 
founded  in  1866,  with  a  society  of 
twenty-five  members.  The  year  before 
several  Germans,  including  Charles 
Weber,  sr.,  Gustav  Rebstock  and  a  few 
others,  made  the  first  attempt  towards 
organizing  a  society  of  its  kind,  but  ow- 
ing to  lack  of  encouragement  did  not 
succed  until  a  year  later.  The  organ- 
ization took  place  on  February  21,  and 


RICHARD  F.  DOSSIN, 
Chairman    Music    Committee. 

as  the  meeting  was  of  a  jolly  and  enthu- 
siastic nature  and  lasted  until  after  mid- 
night, it  was  decided  to  set  the  date  of 
the  birth  in  honor  of  the  first  president 
of  the  United  States,  hence  the  anniver- 


84 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


saries  of  the  society  are  held  on  Wash- 
ington's birthday.  The  officers  elected 
at  this  meeting  were  Theodore  F.  Gel- 
bart, first  speaker ;  Henr}'  Weber,  sr., 
second  speaker;  Henry  Christian,  secre- 
tary; Albert  Hart,  turning  master; 
Charles  Martin,  cashier;  and  Gustav 
R°bstock,  janitor  . 


WILLIAM    SKHL, 
Chairman    Refreshment    Committee. 

The  first  athletic  exercises  were  held 
at  Charles  Martin's  hall  on  State  street, 
where  the  Turners  remained  nearly  » 
year,  and  from  there  removed  to  Frank- 
lin hall  at  the  corner  of  East  Main 
and  Broad  streets,  to  a  building  which 
was  torn  down  a  number  of  years  ago. 
In  spite  of  many  trials  to  which  the  so- 
ciety was  subjected  there  was  consider- 
able ambition  shown  by  its  few  mem- 
bers, and  many  of  the  old  German  resi- 
dents recall  with  pleasure  the  happy 
hours  and  incidents  at  the  gatherings 
of  the  society.  The  festivities  were 
often  marred  by  an  element  which  at- 
tempted disturbances  whenever  an  op- 
portunity offered,  but  soon  came  to 
grief  at  the  hands  of  the  old  German 
pioneers,  especially  through  the  es- 
teemed   Christian    Handel,    who    made 


himself  peace  maker  at  all  such  emer- 
gencies, and  it  is  due  to  him  to  a  great 
extent  that  these  disturbances  finally 
subsided. 

At  the  organization  meeting  a  para- 
graph was  annexed  to  the  statutes  pro- 
viding a  sick  benefit  to  its  members  by 
donating  one-fifth  of  all  proceeds  from 
entertainments  given  by  the  society, 
which,  however,  was  not  of  a  lasting 
nature.  Sick  benefits  amounted  to  $4 
per  week  for  adult  members  and  $2  re- 
spectively  for   its   pupils. 

Christian  Wuterich,  a  well-known 
citizen,  was  thte  first  scholar  interested 
in  the  junior  class.  During  the  year 
1866  a  dramatic  section  was  also  formed 
under  the  able  direction  of  the  late 
August  Hirschfeld,  who  was  ever  will- 
ing to  assist  in  such  affairs  when  called 


LOUIS  KRAEMER, 
General  Committee. 


upon  to  render  his  services. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  soci- 
ety at  the  beginning  was  not  very  en- 
couraging, and  it  had  a  hard  struggle 
to  meet  its  necessary  payments,  money 
being  loaned  in  order  to  defray  ex- 
penses. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


85 


The  minutes  of  the  meetings  between 
the  years  1867  and  1868  were  lost,  but 
as  near  as  the  older  members  can  as- 
certain, Charles  Martin  was  then 
speaker  of  the  society. 

In  1869,  the  society  had  increased  to 
seventy-six  members.  The  same  year 
the  first  Connecticut  Turnerbund  festi- 
val was  held  in  Meriden  ,and  a  guar- 
antee fund  was  raised  ky  which  each 
member  was  assessed  $5,  which  re- 
sulted in  reducing  its  membership 
twenty-three  names.  The  financial  re- 
sult of  the  state  festival,  however,  was 
contrary  to  expectations,  and  although 
it  rained  continually  a  large  sum  was 
raised. 

On  September  7,  1869,  the  section 
known  as  the  "Turner  Frauen  Verein" 
was  organized,  a  society  which  has 
many  times  aided  the  society  financially 
since  its  organization. 

The  next  year  William  Balzer  was 
elected  first  speaker ;  August  Hirsch- 
feld,  second  speaker ;  Conrad  Bauer, 
secretary;  Herman  Duis,  cashier;  Her- 
man Schuerer,  turnwart,  and  H.  Peters, 
janitor. 

The  insurance  on  the  property  owned 
by  the  society  was  $300.  In  1870  the 
society  removed  from  its  hall  at  the 
corner  of  Brpad  and  Main  streets,  to 
Hill's  block  on  State  street,  which  build- 
ing was  at  one  time  used  as  a  post  of- 
fice on  Colony  street,  and  is  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Woolley,  on  Center  stret,  where 
it  can  still  be  seen  standing  in  the  rear 
of  his  establishment. 

The  semi-annual  election  of  officers 
resulted  in  Charles  Weber  being  elected 
turnwart;  Bernhard  Lahl,  secretary; 
Julius  Huebler,  cashier,  and  Gustavus 
Gehrmann,  janitor.  In  the  election  of 
officers  in  1871  H.  Peters  was  elected 
first  speaker ;  Hugo  Reama,  second 
speaker ;  Frank  Hugo  tutor ;  Bernhard 
Lahl,  secretary;  A.  Diehl,  cashier,  and 
G.    Gehrman,   janitor. 

On  September  5,  1870,  Herman  Krae- 
mer,  now  one  of  the  foremost  members 
and  present  instructor  of  the  society, 
was  accepted  from  the  junior  class  and 
initiated  as  a  member  of  the  Meriden 
Turn  Verein.  Mr.  Kraemer  has  been 
indefatigable  as  an  active  Turner,  and 
has  held  the  position  of  instructor  for 
many   years. 

Henry  Goebel  was  elected  second 
speaker  at  the  semi-annual  election  in 
1871  ;  Gustav  Rebstock,  secretary,  and 
J.  Walz,  janitor.     The  same  year  Wil- 


liam Balzer,  August  Hirschfeld  and 
Charles  Weber,  sr.,  were  elected  the 
first  trustees  of  the  society.  The  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  society  at  this  time 
amounted  to  $51. 

June  15,  1871,  the  soceity  again  re- 
moved its  headquarters,  this  time  to 
Miller's  hall  on  Liberty  street — at  one 
time  a  Baptist  church — which  formally 
stood  where  the  one  now  stands  at  the 
corner  of  Crown  and  East  Main  streets. 
The  old  building  was  eventually  re- 
moved to  Veteran  street. 

On  May  8,  1871,  only  a  few  months 
after  being  accepted  from  the  junior 
section,  Herman  Kraemer  was  elected 
master  turner  of  the  active  class. 

The  new  selection  of  officers  resulted 
in  William  Balzer  being  elected  first 
speaker,  and  N.  Permandie,  janitor.  The 
next  year  the  first  speakership  changed 
hands,  Henry  Goebel  being  elected 
first  speaker ;  Papa  Gehrmann,  second 
speaker;  Bernhard  Lahl,  secretary;  A. 
Diehl,  cashier;  George  Becker,  janitor, 
and   Adolph   Ruckk,   tutor. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1872, 
the  society  had  a  membership  of  forty- 
five,  not  including  twenty  junior  mem- 
bers and  fifteen  scholars,  and  property 
valued  at  $970,  with  an  indebtedness  of 

$613. 

At  the  semi-annual  election  of  officers 
in  1872,  Papa  Gehrmann  was  elected 
first  speaker ;  Charles  Wachtelhausen, 
second  speaker ;  B.  Lahl,  secretary ; 
Herman  Schuerer,  tutor ,  and  Fred 
Kraemer,    drum   major    . 

On  July  I,  1872,  August  Hirschfeld 
and  Charles  Weber,  sr.,  were  made 
honorary  members  of  the  society.  The 
death  of  Mrs.  Emilie  Tittel,  one  of  the 
prominent  members  of  the  Frauen  Ver- 
ein   section,    occurred    that    year. 

The  dramatic  section  of  the  society 
was  reorganized  in  1872,  Miller  hall 
being  enlarged  by  adding  a  suitable 
stage,  which  was  furnished  in  the  fall 
of  that  year  and  dedicated  December 
8  with  the  drama  "Mathilde."  At  all 
theatrical  programmes  at  that  time  the 
hall  was  usually  overcrowded  to  such 
an  extent  that  unless  the  patrons  ar- 
rived considerably  before  the  time  set 
for  the  performance,  it  was  often  diffi- 
cult to  even  gain  admittance,  a  matter, 
which  it  is  said,  does  not  occur  to-day. 
The  Meriden  society  has  always  borne 
the  reputation  of  possessing  excellent 
dramatic  talent  and  to  some  of  the 
members  it  seems  strange  that  in  com- 


86 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


parason  to  former  years  the  dramatic 
productions  are  so  feebly  patronized,  as 
it  has  the  tendency  to  discourage  the 
participants.  At  the  present  time  very 
little  is  offered  to  the  German  public 
in  the  dramatic  line,  although  occasional 
histronic  efforts  are  rewarded  with 
financial  as  well  as  artistic  success.  It  is 
thought  that  the  cause  of  this  is  the 
many  associations  and  sections  which 
have  been  formed,  which  do  not  always 
allow  the  different  members  to  con- 
centrate on  a  specific  programme. 

At  the  semi-annual  election  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1874,  Charles  Clock  was 
elected  first  tutor ;  Herman  Kraemer, 
second  tutor;  and  Frank  Rabel,  Janitor. 

In  August  of  that  year  the  state 
Turnfest  was  held  at  Hemlock  grove, 
which  'was  a  failure  financially,  a  de- 
ficit  of   almost   $175   being  the   result. 

Membership  in  the  society  July  i, 
1874,  had  dwindled  to  fifty-eight  and 
in  the  junior  class  to  twenty-six.  The 
property  on  hand  at  this  time  was 
$1,700.  The  German  population  at  the 
same  period  numbered  about  1,200. 

The  next  year  the  officers  selected 
were  Charles  Becker,  first  speaker; 
Adolph  Ruckk,  second  speaker ;  Charles 
Wachtelhausen,  secretary ;  H.  Goebel, 
cashier;  Frank  Rabel,  janitor;  and  Au- 
gust Schletter,  tutor. 

December  26,  1874,  an  extra  meeting 
was  called,  and  it  was  resolved  to  join 
the  North  America  Turnerbund.  On 
April  4,  1875,  the  junior  class  was  sep- 
arated from  the  society  and  given  in 
charge  of  Gustav  Rebstock  and  later 
to  Charles  Weber  as  instructors.  A  de- 
bating club  was  also  formed  among  the 
members  but  was  of  short  duration. 

At  the  semi-annual  election  of  of- 
ficers the  same  year  Adolf  Ruckk  was 
elected  first  speaker;  Charles  Clock, 
second  speaker ;  Charles  Wachtel- 
hausen. secretary;  Charles  Weber,  jr., 
tutor;  H.  Goebel,  cashier;  and  G.  Reb- 
stock,  janitor. 

In  1876  the  society  donated  $50 
towards  representation  at  the  Centen- 
nial exposition  in  Philadelphia,  and  also 
the  net  receipts  of  an  entertainment  for 
the  benefit  of  the  German  American 
Teacher  seminary. 

The  officers  selected  in  1876  were 
Charles  Glock,  first  speaker ;  Louis 
Kraeber,  second  speaker ;  Theodore 
Hax,  secretary;  Fred  Kraemer.  first 
tutor;  H.  Goebel,  cashier;  and  G.  Reb- 
stock,     janitor.     At      the      semi-annual 


election  the  same  year  Michael  Oefinger 
was  elected  first  speaker ;  Will  Kerner, 
first  tutor;  and  Louis  Kroeber,  stage 
director. 

The  membership  in  June  of  that  pe- 
riod was  fifty-six,  with  a  junior  class 
of  seven.  There  were  also  twenty 
scholars. 

The  next  year  Michael  Oefinger  was 
elected  first  speaker;  Herman  Kraemer, 
second  speaker;  William  Kermer,  tutor; 
Richard  Mueller,  secretary;  H.  Goe- 
bel, cashier;  and  F.  Rabel,  janitor. 

On  July  I,  1876,  the  rent  of  the  hall 
was  reduced  from  $5.20  to  $4.  The 
amount  of  property  at  this  time  was 
valued   at   $1,100. 

In  1877  a  band  was  organized.  The 
semi-annual  election  the  same  year  re- 
sulted in  Henry  Goebel  being  elected 
first  speaker;  Henry  Meyer,  cashier; 
and  Richard   Kroeber,   stage   director. 

June  18,  1877,  it  was  suggested  that 
the  Turn  Verein  should  build  a  hall  of 
its  own,  and  a  committee  consisting  of 
August  Hirschfeld.  Charles  Glock,  Ja- 
cob Messner,  Michael  Oefinger  and 
Christopher  Brennecke  were  appointed 
to  elaborate  plans.  August  Hirschfeld 
drew  the  plans  and  specifications, 
amounting  to  $7,500  for  the  building. 

Preparations  were  made  to  commence 
building  in  the  spring,  and  a  building 
lot,  owned  by  Chris  Brennecke,  was 
partly  secured  but  was  reciprocated  in 
the  "February  of  that  year.  The  next 
month  the  death  of  First  Speaker  Henry 
Goebel    occurred. 

On  April  3,  1878,  the  singing  section, 
known  as  the  Turner  Liedertafel,  was 
brought  into  existence  under  the  able 
direction  of  August  Hirschfeld.  This 
was  an  important  factor  in  the  history 
of  the  society,  as  this  section  has  played 
a  prominent  part  in  sustaining  the  soci- 
ety since  its  existence.  The  members 
feel  that  too  much  praise  cannot  be 
given  to  its  director,  August  Hirsch- 
feld, who  sacrificed  himself  to  make 
the  new  section  a  success  without  being 
compensated  for  his  trouble.  A  num- 
ber of  years  ago  the  Liedertafel  pro- 
duced an  operetta  entitled  "Princess  of 
the  Cannibals,"  under  the  musical  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Verheige  and  Fred  Kraemer 
as  stage  manager.  The  performance 
was  a  decided  success  and  enabled  the 
Liedertafel   to   realize  a  big  profit. 

In  the  election  of  1878  Charles  Glock 
succeeded  Michael  Oefinger  as  first 
speaker  of  the  society;   Theodore  Hax 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


87 


was  elected  second  speaker ;  Herman 
Kraemer,  tutor;  Fred  Mueller,  secre- 
tary ;  Henry  Meyer,  cashier,  and 
Charles  Tartter,  janitor.  The  German 
school  which  was  being  erected  at  that 
time,  was  reorganized  by  the  Turner 
society,  of  which  the  late  German- 
American  school  was  an  offspring. 

jNlarch  16,  1879,  a  building  was  pur- 
chased from  Mr.  Camp,  situated  on 
State  street,  opposite  the  freight  depot. 
It  was  resolved  that  the  new  hall  was 
not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  $1,000.  The 
contract  for  the  building  was  awarded 
to  M.  F.  Fitzgerald  for  $1,600,  and  was 
finished  and  dedicated  three  months 
later,  and  the  society  incorporated  the 
following  year  under  the  name  of  "Mer- 
iden  Turn  Verein."  Several  years  later 
the  hall  on  State  street  was  enlarged 
by   some    important   additions   . 

In  1886  the  Bezirks  Turnfest  was 
held  in  Meriden,  but  was  marred  some- 
what by  the  continued  rain  during  the 
festival. 

The  political  agitation  of  the  work- 
ing class  was  a  marked  feature  in  the 
Turn  Verein  at  the  time,  and  as  its 
principles  are  also  based  upon  support- 
ing labor  and  industry,  it  naturally  re- 
sulted at  times  in  creating  arguments 
and    discussions    among   its   members. 

The  society  had  at  this  time  accumu- 
lated a  large  number  of  books,  most  of 
which    had    been    donated    by    members. 

In  1890  the  society  resolved  to  again 
change  its  quarters,  and  appointed  a 
committee  to  look  for  a  suitable  lot. 
The  committee,  after  examining  several 
available  situations  purchased  the  prop- 
erty on  Pratt  street,  opposite  its  present 
hall,  where  the  engine  house  now 
stands.  The  price  paid  for  the  property 
was  $5,000.  An  exchange  was  then 
made  for  the  old  police  station  and  en- 
gine house,  the  latter  being  remodelled 
into  a  commodious  hall. 

Fred  Weber,  who  was  then  first 
speaker  of  the  society,  was  mostly  in- 
strumental in  having  the  work  of  the 
new  hall  enhanced,  and  his  untiring  ef- 


forts are  worthy  of  praise  for  the  task 
he  successfully  completed.  The  build- 
ing was  finished  and  dedicated  Novem- 
ber 7,  1894,  the  entire  German  popula- 
tion of  ]\Ieriden  and  vicinity  taking  an 
active   part    in   the   exercises. 

A  disastrous  fire  badly  damaged  the 
hall  a  year  ago  but  the  building  was 
rapidly  repaired.  The  society  at  the 
present  time  is  in  a  flourishing  condi- 
tion, having  a  membership  of  over  200. 

The  officers  who  were  elected  at  the 
last  meeting  of  the  society  are,  Fred 
Weber,  president ;  John  Miller,  vice 
president ;  R.  Thomas,  secretary ;  R.  W. 
Mueller,  treasurer;  Charles  Kurz,  col- 
lector, and  Lucas  Helcher,  vice  secre- 
tary. The  reception  committee  for 
the  festival  Centennial  week  consisted 
of  John  Buechler,  chairman;  Julius 
Kuntze,  Richard  W.  Mueller,  Medrick 
]\Iarchand    and    Henry    Schrader. 

The  Decoration  committee  was  com- 
posed of  John  Buechler,  chairman;  An- 
drew Oefinger,  Gustav  Hickish,  and 
Adolph  Edler. 

The  Press  committee;  consisted  of 
Richard  Dossin,  chairman ;  Herman 
Kraeme;-,   and   Charles    Heineman. 

The  Park  committee  was  composed  of 
Herman  Kraemer,  chairman ;  Hugo 
Thomas,  Oscar  Fletcher,  Richard  Lange 
and   William  Russell. 

The  committee  on  quarters  consisted 
of  Louis  Kraemer,  chairman;  Max 
Lange.  Gotthold  Gehring,  and  Charles 
Heineman. 

The  Entertainment  committee  was 
composed  of  Edward  Dueniber,  chair- 
man ;  Lucas  Helcher,  and  Gustav  Hick- 
ish. 

The  Music  committee  consisted  of 
Richard  F.  Dossin,  chairman;  John 
Miller  and  Charles  Linke. 

The  Refreshment  committee  was  com- 
posed of  William  Sehl,  chairman; 
George   Miller,   and   Charles   Hoesch. 

The  Committee  on  Badges  consisted 
of  Richard  F.  Dossin.  chairman;  Her- 
man Kraemer,  and  Charles  Heineman. 


88 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Monday,  July  11 — Opening  Day 


The  weatherman  took  pity  on  the  cel- 
ebrants and  made  the  day  an  ideal  one. 
Thousands  of  former  Meridenites  and 
thousands  of  visitors  arriving  every 
hour,  coming  to  a  city  most  beautifully 
decorated,  with  welcoming  arms  extend- 
ing in  all  directions,  made  the  opening 
of  the  secular  part  of  the  Centennial 
celebration  an  event  not  only  long  to  be 
remembered,  but  probably  unsurpassed 
by  any  that  ever  took  place  in  the  state. 
The  muggy  weather  with  the  inter- 
mittent rains  of  Saturda  y  night  and 
Sunday  gave  place  to  sunshine  and  the 
transformation   was   complete. 

The  midway  showmen,  with  their  as- 
sistants and  their  picturesque,  circus- 
like baggage,  had  already  begun  to  erect 
their  tents.  The  fakirs  appeared  from 
out  of  nowhere,  and  soon  held  all  the 
street  corners,  crying  their  wares.  Some 
who  had  not  decorated  put  forth  the 
colors  on  their  business  houses  and 
homes,  which  soon  completed  the 
harmony  of  coloring  that  was  one  of  the 
chief  features  of  the  week. 

The  parades  began  to  form  early  in 
the  morning,  the  conventions  transacted 
important  business,  while  the  crowds 
that  thronged  the  streets  grew  larger 
and  larger,  every  face  wearing  an  ex- 
pectant smile  of  enthusiastic  interest  in 
the  great  event ;  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren all  bravely  decked  out  in  their  best, 
and  for  the  most  part  wearing  flags, 
flowers  or  some  emblem,  as  a  token  of 
the  occasion  they  were  helping  to  com- 
memorate. 

The  different  events  of  course  at- 
tracted the  people,  but  thousands  of 
them  seemed  content  to  walk  up  and 
down  the  streets,  never  tiring  of  the 
noise  of  the  bands,  the  cries  of  the 
hawkers  and  the  whole  attendant  excite- 
ment and  enthusiasm  of  the  celebration. 

EXPOSITION  OPENING. 
The  Manufacturers'  and  Varied  Arts' 
exposition   opened   at   Hanover  park   in 
the   morning,    and    this    feature    of    the 


Centennial  was  very  popular  and  well 
patronized. 

The  pure  food  exhibit  was  in  the  Ca- 
sino and  the  industrial  section  was  lo- 
cated in  the  merry-go-round  building. 
A  covered  passage  way  connected  the 
buildings.  The  entire  floor  space  in  the 
two  buildings  was  taken  up  by  nearly 
forty   manufacturers    and   merchants. 

In  the  Casino  the  Aeolian  company 
had  a  section  in  the  center  and  showed 
several  of  their  instruments.  This  was 
one  of  the  largest  displays  in  the  ex- 
position. The  Meriden  Gas  Light  com- 
pany and  the  Frank  Goetz  Bakerj^  also 
had  prominent  displays  there.  The  Mer- 
iden Grain  and  Feed  company  had  two 
prettily  arranged  sections  in  the  Casino, 
as    had    the    Egg-O-See    company. 

Across  in  the  Industrial  section  there 
were  several  interesting  exhibits.  The 
Jennings  &  Griffin  company,  of  Yales- 
ville,  had  a  large  display  in  the  center 
section.  This  company  showed  the  man- 
ufacture of  augur  bits  and  had  a  min- 
iature factory  in  operation.  The  C.  F. 
Monroe  company  had  a  beautiful  ex- 
hibit. Their  famous  cut  glass  articles 
made  a  very  pretty  showing.  This  com- 
pany also  had  a  plant  in  operation  show- 
ing the  manufacture  of  cut  glass. 

The  A.  J.  Hall  company  showed  their 
hand-painted  china  ware  which  was  a 
very  neat  display.  The  Meriden  Cut- 
lery company,  the  Curtis-Way  company. 
The  Journal  Publishing  company  and 
the  H.  S.  Shiner  company  had  sections 
in  this  part  of  the  exhibit. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  the  fol- 
lowing had  floor  space  in  the  show : 

Wilcox  &  White  company.  New  Eng- 
land Supply  companv,  W.  A.  Hartung. 
C.  A.  Haberling,  H.  Harcourt,  H.  C. 
Bibeau,  J.  V.  Campbell,  H.  E.  Bush- 
nell.  Loft  and  Dray,  the  Fleischman 
company.  Moxie  Nerve  Food  company, 
H.  W.  feooth,  the  Modox  company.  Satin 
Gloss  Polish  company,  E.  A.  Baudreau, 
Apothecaries'  Hall  company,  Schules 
Grape  Wine  company,  Allen  Bros.,  Rus- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


89 


GEN.  J.   S.   STOKES, 
Grand    Marshal    Civic    Parade. 


CAPT.    G.    E.    PROUDMAN, 
Aide,    Civic    Parade. 


C.   B.    BOWEN, 
Aide,    Civic    Parade. 


JULIUS   AUGUR, 
Aide,   Civic    Parade. 


90 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


sell-Miller  Milling  company,  Miner, 
Read  &  Garrett,  E.  H.  Roy,  the  H.  O. 
company,  National  Spring  Bed  com- 
pany. 

A  feature  of  the  exhibit  was  the  daily 
concerts  by  Rounds'  Ladies'  Orchestra 
and  Concert  company.  The  company 
played  from  2  to  8  p.  m. 

The  entire  exposition  reflected  great 
credit  on  Messrs.  Greene  and  Rowe, 
who  had  charge  of  the  affair  from  the 
start. 

The  committee  in  charge  was  com- 
posed of  the  following  Meriden  men : 

Food  and  Industrial  Exhibit— H.  C. 
Bibeau,  chairman ;  Fred  Fenner,  C.  F. 
Monroe,  B.  W.  Collins.  C.  P.  Bradley, 
James  H.  White,  W.  H.  Lyon,  George 
H.  Wilcox,  D.  L.  Bishop,  H.  E.  Bush- 
nell.  M.  W.  Booth. 

Manufacturers'  Exhibit — C.  F.  Mon- 
roe, chairman ;  C.  F.  Rockwell,  secre- 
tary; William  Zerfass,  C.  P.  Bradley,  C. 
W.  King  and  George  H.  Wilcox. 

THE    CIVIC    PARADE. 

A  stroke  of  the  fire  bells  at  2  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  started  the  big  civic 
and  industrial  parade,  one  of  the  star 
features  of  the  Centennial,  from  the 
City  park  on  _  its  march  of  four  miles, 
seen  and  admired  by  thousands  of  eyes. 

Bands  played,  flags  floated,  horses 
pranced  and  the  multitudes  applauded. 
It  was  the  biggest,  grandest,  longest 
procession  Meriden  has  had  in  many  a 
day.     It  was  a  credit  to  the  Centennial. 

It  was  really  two  parades  in  one. 
The  civic,  a  splendid  line  that  held  one's 
closest  attention,  came  first  and  was  led 
by  a  calvacade  of  horsemen,  all  mounted 
on  spirited,  showy  steeds,  and  the  indus- 
trial end  of  it,  representing  the  varied 
business  interests  of  the  municipality, 
dressed  in  their  finest  colors  and  pre- 
pared as  only  Meriden  merchants  can, 
brought  up  in  the  rear.  People  who 
saw  the  procession,  and  it  doesn't  seem 
as  if  there  were  many  who  didn't,  agreed 
that  it  was  the  real  thing. 

At  I  :30  the  paraders  began  assem- 
bling at  the  City  park,  forming  on  Camp 
streeet  and  Bunker  avenue.  The  in- 
dustrial marchers  were  formed  on  North 
Broad  street.  The  procession  was  to 
have  been  in  motion  at  1 130,  but  it  was 
2  o'clock  before  the  fire  bells  sounded 
the  start. 

The  horsemen  and  horsewomen,  too, 
made  a  fine  beginning  for  the  monster 


procession,  all  riding  like  veterans.  Af- 
ter them  came  the  marshal  and  his  aides 
and  they  led  the  long  line  down  Center 
to  Pratt,  to  Broad,  to  East  Main,  to 
West  Main,  to  North  First,  counter- 
march to  West  Main,  to  Colony,  to  Wil- 
cox avenue,  countermarch  on  Colony,  to 
Camp,  to  Cejiter  and — well,  here's 
where  each  parader  broke  ranks,  sighed 
wearily  but  contentedly  and  remarked 
to  his  neighbor.  "That  parade  was  some- 
thing like,  eh?"' 

First  should  be  mentioned  the  mar- 
shal and  his  aides.  They  did  nobly. 
Next  came  the  men  who  tramped  along, 
doing  more  work  than  they  would  oth- 
erwise in  a  week,  for  the  good  of  their 
town  and  the  Centennial.  More  power 
to  them  And  the  music !  Such  music ! 
Nothing  like  it  ever  heard  in  Meriden 
in  a  bunch.  The  horses  ?  Say,  nobody 
ever  imagined  there  were  so  many  good 
ones  in  the  whole  town.  They  deserve 
praise. 

Now  for  the  floats  and  the  "indus- 
trialers."  The  one  that  came  first  in 
the  line  and  attracted  favorable  com- 
ment all  along  the  streets  was  the  much 
talked  of  one  of  Division  15,  L.  A.,  A. 
O.  H.  A  bevy  of  pretty  girls  seated 
comfortably  on  high  perches  was  a  prin- 
cipal attraction  to  be  sure.  Six  gray 
horses  drew  the  wagon,  which  was 
draped  with  the  colors  of  the  order. 
The  young  women  on  the  float  were 
tastefully  gowned  in  green  and  white 
and  waved  energetically  flags  of  red, 
white  and  blue.  The  motto,  "Unity, 
Friendship  and  Charity,"  was  in  a  con- 
spicuous place. 

This  float  was  similar  to  the  one  that 
captured  first  prize  in  Hartford  two 
years  ago  .and  the  banner  that  was  won 
at  that  time  was  given  prominence. 

The  Meriden  lodge  of  Elks  had  a  very 
creditable  float  in  the  procession.  Drawn 
by  six  horses,  a  wagon  was  draped  in 
the  B.  P.  O.  E.  colors,  purple  and  white, 
in  which  were  several  young  people  in 
costume.  On  the  highest  elevation  was 
a  girl  draped  with  American  flags  to  rep- 
resent the  Goddess  of  Liberty  and  be- 
side her  stood  cavaliers  in  old  colonial 
dress.  On  the  sides  of  the  wagon  were 
the  Elks'  banners. 

The  float  of  Meriden  camp,  77ii. 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  was 
most  unique.  It  represented,  and  did  it 
well,  too,  a  woodmen's  camp,  with  the 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


91 


CAPT.  JOSEPH  DE  CANTILLON, 
Aide,    Civic   Parade. 


COL.  S.  E.  CROCKER, 
Commanding  P.  O.  S.  of  A. 


CARL  DIEL, 
Commanding  D.  O.  H. 


JEROME   BAILEY, 
Assisant   Chief   Fire   Department. 


92 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


husky  campers  sitting  about  a  fire,  at 
the  entrance  to  a  neatly  constructed  log 
cabin.     It  well  merited  the  applause. 

St.  Jean  de  Baptiste  society  showed 
a  pretty  float  and  it  received  many  a 
hand  clap  along  the  line.  It  was  a 
large  four-horse  covered  wagon  decked 
with  evergreen  and  bunting,  and  inside 
rode  a  little  miss  clad  in  sheepskin  and 
standing  beside  a  sheep. 


A.  MOZZI, 
Com.    Christopher    Columbus    Society. 

The  officers  of  the  East  Side  Social 
club  rode  in  a  carriage  trimmed  gaily 
with  national  colors,  as  did  the  officers 
of  several  other  organizations.  The 
Y.  M.  T.  A.  B.  society  was  out  in  force, 
and  the  sturdy  members  made  a  credi- 
table appearance  for  their  society. 

The  Elks  carried  a  mammoth  Ameri- 
can flag  outstretched. 

The  following  were  in  the  civic  pa- 
rade, or  rather  as  many  of  them  as  it 
was  possible  to  note  as  the  pageant 
passed   along: 

Mounted   cavalcade   under  command  of 

George   L.    Clark. 

Marshal,  Joseph  S.  Stokes. 


Aides,  Captain  C.  B.  Bowen,  Captain 
Joseph  DeCantillon,  Captain  George  E. 
Proudman,  John  H.  McMahon,  Julius 
Augur,  George  R.  Hubbard  and  Albert 
A.  May. 

Police  Escort 

Hatch's  band,  of  Hartford. 

Myrtle   Lodge,  4,  K.   of   P.,   Chancellor 

John   Kay  commanding,  with 

Visitors. 

Meriden  City  band. 

Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians  and  invited 

guests. 
Division    i,    John    H.    McMahon,    com- 
manding. 
Division  2,   Robert  Lodge  commanding. 
Division  3,   Dr.    O   .D.   Flanagan,  com- 
manding. 
Footguard's    band,    of    Hartford. 


W.  C.  LUCAS, 
Comyianding    Fire    Department. 

T.  A.  B.  society,  John  F.  Fenders,  com- 
Kianding. 
Band. 
Meriden  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  guests, 
E.  L.   K.,  Daniel  Donovan,  command- 
ing,  with    Middletown    Elks   accompa- 
nied bv  American  band  of  Waterbury. 
Band. 


CENTENNIAL    Op    MERIDEN. 


93 


Silver    City    Council,    K.    of    C.    G.    H., 
Henr}'  Cashen  commnading. 

Band. 
Meriden   Aerie   of   Eagles. 
East   Side  Social  club. 
Band. 
Silver  City  lodge,  I.  O.  A.  B.,  L.  Fried- 
man,   commanding. 


St.  Stanislaus  Church  society. 

Fifty   Men. 

Michael  Ferren,  president. 

White  Eagle  society. 

120   Men. 

Waltey  Malywajek,  president. 

St.  Stanislaus  Branch,  No.  655. 

Eighty-five  Men. 

Barnslaw   Markoweski,  president. 

Society  Poluskie  Drum  Corps. 

Twenty  Men. 

Leader  Szilewa. 

Society  Cokol   Pol. 

Forty   Men. 

Stanislaw    Truanjecki,    president. 

Society    Peter    and    Paul,    Branch    491, 

Twenty-four  Men. 

Joseph   Pichnareik,  president. 


Armour's    Champion    Team    of    Horses 

with  attendants. 

Colt's  Band  of  Hartford. 


J  .F.  FENDERS, 
Commanding   Y.    M.    T.   A.    B.    Society. 

Meriden  lodge,  276,  D.  O.  H.,  Carl  Diel, 

commanding. 

Meriden  Rifle   club. 

Chrisotphcr     Columbus     society,     Pres. 

Alfred  Mozzi,  commanding. 

Victor  Immanuel,  3,  society. 

Meriden  Camp. 

Dolbec   camp. 

St.   Jean    Baptiste    society,   Wilbrod 

L'Heureaux,  commanding. 

St.  Laurent's  T.  A.  B.  society. 

Italian    Protective    society,    E.    Tomas- 

etti,  marshal. 

UNITED    POLISH     SOCIETIES. 

Kosciusko  society  band. 

Twenty  Men. 

John  Klotc,  leader. 

Society  Recearcz,  M.  B.  C.  Z., 

Sixty  Men, 

Capt.    John    Zydkiewcizy,    commanding. 


J.   H  McMAHON, 
Commanding   Div    i,   A.    O.    H. 

Veteran    Firemen's   association    and    in- 
vited guests. 
Veteran    companies    of    Hartford,    with 

band. 

New  London  Veterans  and  the  Active 

Hook  and  Ladder  company  of 

New  London,  with  band. 


94 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN, 


Philharmonic  band  of  New  Britain. 
Eagle  Hose  company  of  Ansonia, 
Seventy-five  Men. 
Band. 
Meriden  Fire  Department,  Chief  W.  C. 
Lucas    commanding,    and    Assist- 
ant  Chief   Jerome    Bailey. 
Fire  companies,  regular  department  and 
volunteers,    with    apparatus. 


O.  D.  FLANAGAN, 
Commanding  Div.  3,  A.  O.   H. 

THOSE    WHO    MADE    FINE    EXHIBITION. 

The  industrial  parade  was  fine,  con- 
sidering a  number  of  circumstances,  and 
those  merchants  who  turned  out  did 
themselves  proud.  The  Armour  Beef 
company  had  its  celebrated  six  horse 
champion,  blue  ribbon  team  in  line.  It 
was  greeted  with  "Ah's!"  and  "Oh's!" 
from  the  horsemen  on  all  the  streets. 

David  Higgins,  the  milk  dealer,  had 
five  gaily-colored  wagons  in  line  as  clean 
and  spick  and  span  as  the  most  fastid- 
ious would  wish. 

A.  Greenbacker  &  Son,  the  florists, 
displayed  a  floral  wagon.  The  vehicle 
contained  beautiful  potted  plants  and 
was  completely  hidden  by  decorations, 
as  was  the  horse's  harness.  It  was  a 
fine  piece  of  work. 


Lacourciere  &  Co.,  the  painters  and 
decorators,  were  out  in  force.  All  their 
men  rode  in  two  decorated  wagons  and 
dressed  in  white  suits.  They  looked 
great. 

One  of  the  prettiest  rigs  in  line  was 
driven  by  Walter  Shaw,  proprietor  of 
the  Shaw's  horse  sales  stables.  He  had 
a  neat  pair  of  steppers  hooked  to  a  fine 
vehicle  that  was  prettily  trimmed  with 
flowers. 

R.  W.  Barrows,  the  florist,  drove  a 
very  pretty  pair  of  ponies  hitched  to  a 
small  glass  covered  wagon  that  was 
filled  with   choice  plants. 

The  Journal  Publishing  company 
turned  a  cannon  on  the  multitudes.  For- 
tunately, it  was  only  a  paper  gun, 
though.     This  company's  display  was  in 


D  .J.   DONOVAN, 
Commanding  Elks. 

the  shape  of  an  army  field  piece,  drawn 
by  si.x  horses,  properly  mounted  by  boys 
of  Compny  I,  C.  N.  G.  The  gun,  though 
it  was  made  of  paper,  weighed  about 
1,000  pounds,  and  was  mounted  on  a 
truck,  just  the  same  as  they  are  in  the 
United  States  army.  It  was  a  clever 
and  ingenious  thing,  the  folks  along  the 
streets  said. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


95 


Julius  Augur,  the  marketman,  had  two 
of  his  wagons  trimmed  prettily,  in  line. 

Peter  Levin,  the  Veteran  street  mar- 
ketman, showed  two  calves  and  drove  a 
fine  team  of  black  horses. 

Little,  Somers  &  Hyatt  had  a  wagon 
full  of  pretty  girls  and  made  a  hit  iu 
the  wa}'  they  advertised  their  painting 
and  decorating  business. 

Mrs.  G.  H.  Flynn,  of  Center  street, 
gave  a  lot  of  nice  looking,  well  dressed 
youngsters  a  ride  and  labelled  them 
"Future  painters." 

The  Meriden  Grain  &  Feed  company 
had  three  well  dressed  wagons  in  line 
and  attracted  favorable  attention. 

The  Meriden  druggists  had  a  wagon 
in  the  parade  with  a  huge  mortar  and 
pestle,  gilded  nicely,  upon  it,  "1806  and 
1906"  shown  out  prominently. 

Other  exhibitors  were:  Soapine,  Dr. 
Smith's  veterinary  medicines,  G. 
Schlaak,  milk;  G.  F.  Knell,  grocer;  S. 
Kennedy,  baker :  H.  Scholefield,  milk ; 
Ozone  soap;  Gustav  Marx,  milk;  J. 
Greenbacker,  milk;  Boehle  &  Dresch- 
ler,  bakers;  E.  E.  Brainard,  baker;  F. 
L.  Bradbury,  baker;  Fleischmann  Yeast 
company ;    Bailey  s    laundry. 

VETERAN     VOLUNTEERS. 

The  Meriden  Veteran  Volunteer  Fire- 
men's association  had  as  their  guests 
the  Hartford  Veteran  Firemen's  associa- 
tion and  the  Rescue  Fire  compan\'  of 
Stony  Creek,  the  Hartford  company,  of 
which  ex-CRief  Henry  J.  Eaton  is  pres- 
ident, brought  down  their  engine  which 
is  the  oldest  working  engine  in  this 
country,  being  built  in  1792,  for  the  city 
of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  after  thirty 
years  service  in  that  city  was  sold  to  the 
town  of  Essex,  Conn.,  and  thirty  years 
ago  was  purchased  by  a  "member  of  the 
Hartford  association  for  $50. 

Of  the  130  members  belonging  to  the 
Hartford  association  109  came  to  Mer- 
iden on  the  8:56  train,  accompanied  by 
their  ladies  and  were  at  once  taken  to 
Company  I  armory,  where  refreshments 
were  served. 

The  Stony  Creek  company  of  thirty 
members  came  in  on  the  10 :30  train  ac- 
companied by  the  Cornet  band  of  twelve 
pieces  and  a  large  delegation  of  their 
friends.  They  were  all  escorted  to  the 
armory  and  at  11:30  o'clock  dinner  was 
served  the  visitors  by  the  local  vets,  who 
were    ably    assisted    by    Mrs.    John    D. 


Roberts,  Mrs.  George  R.  Tryon  and 
Mrs.  James  Pearce,  and  the  following 
young  ladies :  Misses  Elizabeth  Reb- 
stock,  Jessie  Milroy,  Meryl  Babbitt,  Lil- 
lian Howe,  May  Roberts,  Grace  Hub- 
bard, Beatrice  Spink,  Elmore  Sutter- 
land,  Mildred  Miller  and  Estella  Spink. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  collation  the 
members  of  the  visiting  organization 
with  the  Meriden  association,  formed  in 
front  of  Palace  block,  and  marched  to 
,the  City  park  and  the  fine  appearance 
made  by  the  visiting  and  local  Vets  was 
highlv   commented   on.     Foreman    E.    F. 


JOHN  KAY, 
Commanding    Knights    of    Pythias. 

McKiernan  and  Secretary  Thomas  Stan- 
ard  were  in  charge  of  the  Capitol  city 
Vets,  and  Foreman  George  G.  Bishop 
and  Assistant  Foreman  Harry  Allis  and 
John  Dower  had  charge  of  the  Stony 
Creek  company. 

President  Eaton  walked  at  the  head 
of  the  Hartford  association.  After  the 
parade  the  veterans  returned  to  the  ar- 
mory where  lunch  was  served  and  the 
out  of  town  guests  were  entertained  in 
royal  style. 

One   of  the  most   enjoyable   incidents 


y6 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


of  the  morning  was  the  concert  given 
by  Colt's  famous  band  of  Hartford,  here 
with  the  Veteran  Firemen's  association 
of  that  city  as  the  guests  of  the  Meri- 
den  Veteran  Firemen's  association. 

At  II  o'clock  the  band  gave  a  num- 
ber of  selections  in  front  of  Palace  block, 
where  the  local  veterans  had  estab- 
lished   their    headquarters    and    a    great 


crowd  listened  to  the  fine  music. 

Several  of  the  pieces  played  were 
varied  by  singing  by  the  members  of  the 
band  and  the  vocal  feature  was  a  most 
pleasing  innovation. 

Scott  Snow,  the  accomplished  leader, 
and  his  men  entered  fully  into  the  spirit 
of  the  day  and  the  band  was  never  heard 
here  to  better  advantage. 


STATE  BANKERS'  CONVENTION 


The  annual  convention  of  the  Con- 
necticut Bankers'  association  was  one  of 
the  notable  gatherings  of  the  Centennial. 

The  Home  club  was  the  headquarters 
of  the  bankers  and  the  hospitality  of 
the  club  was  thoroughly  enjoyed. 

The  business  session  was  held  shortly 
after  il  o'clock,  at  which  ex-Governor 
Chamberlain,  president  of  the  associa- 
tion, presided  and  made  a  brief  speech 
of  welcome.  The  governor  was  in  his 
best  vein  and  the  welcome  was  most  cor- 
dial and  appropriate. 

The  reports  of  the  secretary  and  treas- 
urer were  read  and  gave  interetsing  facts 
about  the  year's  work  of  the  association. 

REPORT    OF    SECRETARY.       ' 

Secretary  C.  E.  Hoyt,  of  South  Nor- 
walk,  presented  the  following  report: 

"During  the  year  the  officers  and  ex- 
ecutive committee  have  held  two  meet- 
ings, one  at  Meriden  and  one  at  Hart- 
ford, at  which  meetings  special  attention 
was  given  to  the  preparation  of  a  gen- 
eral banking  bill  to  be  presented  at  this 
session  by  the  executive  committee. 

"By  the  treasurer's  report  for  1905 
there  were  seventy-eight  banks,  bankers 
and  trust  companies  enrolled  as  mem- 
bers of  the  association  ;  there  has  been 
added  to  the  roll  during  the  year  eight 
banks,  seven  trust  companies  and  three 
private  banking  houses,  making  a  gain 
in  membership  of  eighteen  and  a  total 
membership  of  ninety-six. 

"There  remains  in  the  state  only  one 
trust  company,  three  state  banks  and 
fifteen  national  banks  that  are  not  mem- 
bers of  the  association.  This  is  a  con- 
dition worthy  of  note  as  it   speaks  well 


for  the  harmony  existing  between  the 
various  banking  institutions  doing  bus- 
iness in  the  state  and  is  in  marked  con- 
trast to  the  friction  between  them  in 
states  where  all  are  not  compelled  to 
carry  the  same  reserve  and  not  under 
the  supervision  of  the  bank  commis- 
sioners. 

"I  desire  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
association  to  the  effort  put  forth  by 
other  states  to  secure  representation  on 
the  executive  council  of  the  American 
Bankers  association;  the  New  England 
states  have  not  a  representative  in  the 
council,  and  if  proper  attention  was  giv- 
en to  the  matter  it  might  result  in  gain- 
ing the  honor  for  Connecticut." 
treasurer's  report. 

The  report  of  the  treasurer,  Charles 
C.  Barlow,  of  New  Haven,  showed  that 
during  the  year  the  sum  of  $940  had 
been  received  from  ninety-four  members 
which  with  the  balance  on  hand  at  the 
lieginning  of  the  year,  $2,023.77,  made 
the  total  on  hand  %2,g62,.y7. 

The  disbursements  for  the  year  were 
$542.18.    leaving   a   l)alance   on   hand   of 

$2,431 -SQ- 

The  officers  of  the  association  who 
served  during  the  year  were : 

President  Hon.  Abiram  Chamberlain, 
Meriden;  vice  president,  Alfred  Spen- 
cer, Jr.,  Hartford;  secretary,  Charles  E. 
Hoyt.  South  Norwalk;  treasurer, 
Charles  C.  Barlow.  New  Haven;  execu- 
tive committee,  William  E.  Atwood,  New 
Britain.  Frank  B.  Furlong,  Hartford, 
James  H.  Welles,  Norwich,  Isaac  W. 
Brooks,  Torrington,  Charles  H.  Nettle- 
ton,  Derby. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


97 


The  following  officers  were  elected  for 
the  coming  year : 

President — Alfred  Spencer,  Jr.,  Hart- 
ford. 

Vice-president — W.  E.  Atwood,  New 
Britain. 

Treasurer — Floyd  Curtis,  Meriden. 

Secretary — C.  E.  Hoyt,  South  Nor- 
walk. 


N.    G.    OSBORX. 

Executive  committee — F.  M.  Benham, 
Bridgeport;  C.  C.  Barlow,  New  Haven; 
H.  N.  Whipple,  New  Haven;  L.  N.  Van 
Buren,  Waterbury;  R.  C.  Markham, 
Middletown. 

CARRIAGE    DRIVE. 

Following  the  business  session  a  lunch- 
eon was  served  under  the  direction  of 
Steward  Maynard  of  the  Home  club 
and  then  the  members  of  the  associa- 
tion were  taken  in  carriages  for  a  drive 
through  the  city  to  see  the  Centennial 
sights.  They  also  visited  the  parks  and 
were  delighted  with  what  they  saw,  es- 
pecially at  Hubbard  park. 

Returning  from  the  drive  they  sat 
down  to  an  elaborate  banquet  in  the  big 
ball  room  of  the  club  which  was  hand- 
somely decorated.  The  guest  of  honor 
at  this  function  was  ex-x\ttorney  Gen- 
eral   John    W.    Griggs   of   New    Jersey, 


who  arrived  on  the  9  o'clock  train  from 
New  York  in  company  with  Clarence 
E.  Breckenridge,  formerly  of  this  city 
and  a  director  of  the  International  Sil- 
ver company.  Messrs.  Griggs  and 
Breckenridge  were  among  those  who 
greatly  enjoyed  the  carriage  drive 
through  the  parks. 

Attorney  General  Griggs  gave  a  short 
informal  talk  to  the  bankers.  Colonel 
N.  G.  Osborn  of  New  Haven  was  also 
an  honored  guest  and  a  most  entertain- 
ing speaker.  There  are  few  better  after 
dinner  speakers  than  Colonel  Osborn  and 
he  was  listened  to  with  great  enjoyment 
by  the  bankers.  He  and  General  Griggs 
received  hearty  applause  for  their 
speeches. 


W.   E.   ATTWOOD, 

BANKERS    PRESENT. 

Among  the  bankers  present  at  the  ban- 
quet were  the  following: 

W.  E.  Atwood,  New  Britain;  L.  Hoyt 
Pease,  New  Britain ;  H.  B.  Boardman, 
New  Britain ;  William  H.  Fields  and 
F.  C.  Burroughs,  New  Haven;  Fred 
Strong,  New  Haven;  Charles  S.  Leete 
and  F.  W.  Chatterton,  New  Haven;  H. 
C.    Warner    and   H.    N.    Whipple,    New 


98 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Haven ;  J.  T.  Manson  and  C.  C.  Barlow, 
New  Haven;  W.  B.  Curtis  and  D.  B. 
Lyman,  New  Haven ;  C.  E.  Curtis  and 
M.  Lovd,  New  Haven ;  H.  P.  Price,  Nor- 
walk;    E.    O.    Keeler,    Norwalk;    D.    H. 


JOHN  W.   GRIGGS. 

Miller,  Norwalk;  L.  C.  Green,  Norwalk; 
Charles  W.  Gale,  Norwich ;  C.  L.  Hop- 
kins, Norwich ;  William  H.  Reeves,  New 
London ;  S.  E.  Hopkins  and  A.  H.  Day- 


ton, Naugatuck;  S  .S  .Green,  New  Mil- 
ford;  Andrew  R.  Sloper  and  Ed.  N. 
Stanley,  New  Britain;  F.  Gildersleeve 
and  J.  H.  Sage,  of  Portland;  Isaac  W. 
Brooks,  Torrington;  J.  H.  Seaton,  Tor- 
rington;   Willis   Gowdy,  Thompsonville. 

C.  S.  Boies,  Seymour;  R.  H.  Golden 
and  C.  E.  Hoyt,  South  Norwalk;  F.  G. 
Sanford,  Stafford  Springs;  R.  G.  Dem- 
arest,  Southport;  E.  H.  Mathewson  and 
J.  M.  Layton,  South  Norwalk;  C.  G. 
Watkins  and  F.  G.  Vibberts,  South  Man- 
chester; Guilford  Smith  and  H.  C.  La- 
throp,  Willimantis ;  B.  G.  Bryan,  Water- 
burv ;  F.  D.  Hallett,  Winsted ;  C.  H.  Tib- 
bits,  Wallingford;  Robert  W.  Hill,  Wa- 
terbury;  F.  M.  Benham,  Bridgeport;  H. 
B.  Terrell,  Bridgeport;  H.  S.  Shelton, 
Bridgeport;  I.  B.  Prindle,  Bridgeport; 
George  H.  Willliams,  Danbury;  M.  H. 
Griffing,  Danbury;  Charles  H.  Nettle- 
tQn,  Derby ;  Cashier,  Deep  River  Nat. ; 
Charles  F.  Mitchell,  Waterbury;  R.  E. 
Holmes,  Winsted ;  F.  G.  Camp,  Middle- 
town  ;  Frank  C.  Sumner,  treasurer  Hart- 
ford Trust  company;  Charles  H.  Phelps, 
Merchants'  National  bank,  Norwich. 

H.  A.  Hoadley,  cashier  Citizens',  of 
Waterbury. 

E.  K.  Wilkins,  Middlesex  National, 
Middletown;  M.  J.  McFarland,  treas- 
urer Canton  Trust  Co.,  Collinsville ;  of- 
ficer United  States  bank,  Hartford;  F. 
L.  Bunce  and  L.  P.  Broadhurst,  Phoe- 
nix National,  Hartford. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


99 


Tuesday,  July  12 — Grand  Army  Day 


This  was  another  lucky  day,  as  the 
morning  dawned  cool  and  clear,  bring- 
ing a  cloudless,  dustless  day  that  was 
ideal  for  a  celebration  where  people 
marched  and  moved  about  continually. 
There  was  not  perhaps  the  rush  that 
was  noticed  on  Monday,  but  there  was 
a  deeper  interest  shown  that  was  par- 
ticularly gratifying  to  all  who  were  con- 
cerned in  the  preparations  for  the  var- 
ious events. 

The  day's  programme  was  a  varied 
one,  with  three  parades  that  were  par- 
ticularly attractive.  The  Schuetzenfest 
parade  started  at  9  o'clock  and  was  a 
brave  display  aided  by  the  Meriden  Rifle 
club  and  visitors.     Then  came  the  auto- 


mobile parade  at  10 :30,  followed  by  the 
G.  A.  R.  state  parade  at  4  o'clock  in 
the  afternooon. 

The  midway  and  the  street  fairs  be- 
gan to  be  looked  upon  as  an  accepted 
thing  and  the  shows  were  thronged 
from  the  opening  time.  Thousands  of 
visitors  came  in  on  the  early  trains, 
while  thousands  more  came  by  trolley, 
automobile  or  carriage  and  they  took 
up  the  sidewalk  procession  that  was  one 
of  the   great   features   of   the   week. 

The  loan  exhibit,  the  varied  arts  ex- 
position and  the  other  attractions  were 
very  well  patronized  and  it  seemed  as 
if  Meriden's  celebration  had  a  start  that 
meant  a  complete  success. 


AUTOMOBILE   PARADE 


There  have  been  automobile  parades 
and  automobile  parades  and  yet  it  is 
doubtful  if  anything  as  elaborate,  as 
attractive  or  as  generally  satisfactory, 
was  ever  held  in  Connecticut  before 
that  could  be  compared  with  this  pro- 
cession of  "whizz"  carts.  One  hundred 
and  sixty-two  machines  of  every  sort 
and  description  traveled  over  the  prin- 
cipal streets  of  the  city  down  lanes  of 
enthusiastic  people  who  applauded  vig- 
orously the  handsomelly  decorated  cars. 

The  cars  were  really  beautiufUy  dec- 
orated, no  two  of  them  alike  and  yet  a 
great  many  of  them  should  have  been 
awarded  prizes  had  there  been  enough 
to  go  around.  The  honor  list  of  cars 
in  the  prize  contest  was  almost  as  long 
as  the  procession.  Flowers  in  profu- 
sion, vines  and  greens,  flags  and  bunt- 
ings, plumes  and  every  other  variety  of 


trimming  that  the  artistic  eye  and  in- 
genious hand  could  devise  were  used 
by  the  competing  owners  and  the  result 
was  bewildering. 

The  judges,  Mrs.  L.  E.  Savage,  W. 
H.  A.  Maynard  and  F.  E.  Sands,  were 
hard  put  in  making  their  decisions  be- 
cause of  the  successful  efforts  of  the 
competing  chauffeurs.  It  was  unani- 
mously decided  to  award  the  first  prize 
to  Dr.  F.  L.  Murdock  and  his  hand- 
some big  Thomas  car.  This  car  which 
was  filled  with  charming  girls,  was  a 
symphony  in  pink  and  green  with  flow- 
ers forming  an  arch  over  the  riders. 
A  swan  was  perched  on  the  hood. 

The  second  prize  was  given  to  Pub- 
lic Works  Commissioner  W.  A.  Pen- 
field,  whose  Pope-Toledo  was  arranged 
with  a  charming  conceit.  It  was  all  in 
purple,   the   Elks'   color,   with    1806  and 


lOO 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


r-liisiKHkH| 


ms 


m 


W.  H.  A.  MAYNARD, 
Auto    Parade    Committee. 


DR   H.  A.  MEEKS, 
Auto   Parade   Committee. 


I.  L.  Holt. 
Auto    Parade    Committee. 


F.   E.   SANDS, 
Auto  Parade  Judge. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


lOI 


1906  on  either  side  of  the  hood  and  in 
front  of  the  radiator  was  a  great  elk's 
head  and  from  the  antlers  purple  rib- 
bons ran  back  to  the  dash. 

I.  L.  Holt's  Autocar  was  acclaimed 
winner  of  the  third  prize  and  this  was 
a  popular  verdict.  There  were  ladies 
in  this  car  and  all  were  dressed  in  white. 


DR.  F.  L.  MURDOCK, 

Marshal  Auto  Parade. 

Huge  white  chrysanthemums  formed  the 
basis  of  the  decorations  of  Mr.  Holt's 
car  and  it  was  decidedly  an  artistic  suc- 
cess. 

But  there  were  many  cars  and  they 
were  so  prettily  decorated  that  they 
should  be  mentioned.  The  official  pace 
maker,  W.  A.  King's  car,  with  Ray 
King  driving  and  two  buglers  led  the 
way.  The  parade  formed  on  City  park, 
then  coming  down  Camp  street  to  Col- 
ony, to  West  Main,  to  Linsley  avenue, 
and  then  to  Hanover  and  out  East  Main 
to  Pratt,  then  to  Broad,  up  Broad  to 
Curtis,  wheeling  there  and  down  to  East 
Main,  then  to  Colony  and  Britannia 
street,  where   they  were   dismissed. 

Following  the  official  car  came  Miss 
Anne   Rust   with   her   runabout   prettily 


arranged  with  red  poppies.  Then  came 
Mrs.  E.  H.  White  and  her  car  was  very 
attractive  in  white  and  pink.  Mrs.  E. 
H.  Fennessy's  car  was  very  sweetly  ar- 
ranged with  a  floral  effect  that  was  one 
of  the  hits  of  the  parade.  Dr.  McMa- 
hon's  car  in  pink  and  green ;  Dr.  Cooke's 
a  dream  in  green  and  white ;  Dr.  Smith's 
in  flags  and  bunting,  and  many  others 
were  deserving  of  special  praise. 

Adam  Engelhart's  Autocar  in  yellow 
and  white  was  also  very  effective,  while 
the  car  driven  by  Mrs.  Recihert  of  New 
Haven  was  warmly  received.  Paul 
Booth's  car  in  yellow,  green  and  white,, 
was  warmh^  applauded  as  they  passed 
the   crowds   at  various  points. 

There  were  many  out  of  town  peo- 
ple in  line  and  some  of  their  cars  were 
very   attractive. 


DR.  T.  S.  RUST, 
Aide,  Auto  Parade. 

MERIDEN   AUTOISTS. 

Although  there  is  no  regularly  organ- 
ized automobile  club  in  the  city  of  Mer- 
iden  there  are  a  number  of  machines 
and  some  of  them  expensive.  They  are 
of  all  makes  and  some  of  them  cost  as 
much  as  $7,000,  but  the  average  figure 
about  half  that  sum.     For  weeks  many 


102 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


of  them  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
decorators  and  otherwise  had  ben  given 
a  general  and  thorough  overhauling. 
Among  those  who  are  the  owners  of  au- 
tomobiles in  Meriden  are : 

I.  L.  Holt,  Clarence  R.  Sharp,  Dr. 
Harold  A.  Meeks,  W.  F.  Parker,  W.  D. 
Palmer,  Frank  C.  White,  A.  R.  Cham- 


W.   A.   KING, 
Aide,  Auto  Parade. 

berlain,  Frank  H.  Hastings,  Louis  H. 
Perkins,  J.  L.  Kinney,  W.  A.  King, 
Louis  Fisk,  John  S.  Lane,  Dr.  F.  L. 
Murdock,  Benjamin  Page,  D.  E.  Hall, 
Paul  C.  Booth,  Walter  S.  Billard,  Geo. 
J.  Terrell,  A.  E.  Miller,  W.  C.  Homan, 
Victor  E.  Walker,  A.  E.  Austin,  Joseph 
R.  Marchesscault,  A.  Bowe  and  Son, 
James  Duffey,  H.  H.  Fenn,  William  A. 
Penfield,  Mrs.  A.  H.  Shailer,  Charles  T. 
Dodd,  Edgar  A.  Bennett,  Irving  J.  Sper- 
ry,  Arthur  E.  Cook,  F.  D.  Smith,  Edwin 
S.  Davis,  James  B.  Tracy,  William  C. 
Lucas,  William  J.  Fredericks,  Jr.,  Ar- 
thur A.  Fogg,  Dr.  A.  C.  McMahon,  Dr. 
Benjamin  H.  Carter,  Henry  L.  Smith, 
Waldo  L.  Upson,  Arthur  S.  Lane,  Ar- 
thur E.  Hobson,  E.  W.  Smith,  Richard 
B.  Wood,  Andrew  F.  Fox,  R.   S.  God- 


frey, Ambrose  B.  Clark,  George  E.  Sav- 
age, Allan  H.  White,  Mary  C.  White, 
Joseph  A.  Cooke,  Charles  H.  Aichler, 
Herman  Minkwitz,  S.  B.  Hall,  A.  J. 
Aubrey,  W.  H.  Bigelow,  Leland  Strong, 
George  A.  Fay  and  C.  S.  Palmer 

The  committee  who  had  the  parade 
in  charge  were  Dr.  Murdock,  Dr.  T. 
S.  Rust,  W.  F.  Parker,  I.  L.  Holt,  Wal- 
ter A.  King  and  Dr.  Harold  A.  Meeks. 

From  the  moment  the  plan  of  an  au- 
tomobile parade  was  proposed  these  gen- 
tlemen worked  most  assiduously  in  the 
interests  of  the  parade,  and  also  the  city 
of  Meriden.  They  received  assurances 
that  there  would  be  a  great  display  of 
machines  from  other  cities  in  the  state 
and  from  other  states. 


W.  F.  PARKER, 
Aide,  Auto  Parade. 

Dr.  Harold  A.  Meeks,  who  was  one 
of  the  members  of  the  committee,  is  one 
of  the  best  known  physicians  in  the  city. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  hospital 
staff  since  its  organization.  Dr.  Meeks 
was  born  in  Preakness,  N.  J.,  on  July 
27,  1868.  and  came  from  an  old  Knick- 
erbocker family.  He  is  a  descendant  of 
Abra  Clarke,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


103 


Declaration  of  Independence  and  of 
Captain  Francis  Van  Dyke  who  was  in- 
strumental in  the  capture  of  Major  An- 
dre. He  attended  school  in  New  York 
city  and  graduated  from  Phillips  Exe- 
ter academy  where  he  prepared  for  Col- 
umbia college.  He  studied  medicine  at 
the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  college, 
from  which  he  graduated  and  was 
awarded  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1890. 
In  the  following  year  he  came  to  Meri- 
den,  since  which  time  he  has  built  up  a 
very  lucrative  practice.  For  three  years 
he  was  town  physician  of  Meriden  and 
has  been  city  health  officer  since  1901. 
He  was  married  in  1892  to  Florence 
Austin,  of  Meriden.  and  has  two  sons. 


Dr.  Frederick  L.  Murdock  is  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  automobilists  in 
the  city  of  Meriden  and  from  the  start 
worked  night  and  day  for  the  success  of 
the  automobile  parade.  He  is  one  of 
the  leading  dentists  of  the  city  and  for 
years  has  occupied  handsomely  furnished 
rooms  in  the  Wilcox  block.  He  was 
born  in  England  and  came  to  America 
when  a  boy  and  received  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  here.  After  grad- 
uating at  the  High  school  he  took  a 
course  in  arts  and  upon  receiving  the 
degree  of  B.  A.,  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land where  he  studied  dentistry  for  five 


years.  When  he  received  his  permission 
to  practice  he  went  to  Montreal,  Cana- 
da, where  he  took  a  post  graduate 
course.  He  located  at  first  in  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  in  1891  came  to  Meriden 
and  began  the  practice  which  he  has 
continued  ever  since.  He  is  both  well 
known  and  popular. 


Dr.  Theodore  S.  Rust  of  East  Main 
street  has  owned  an  automobile  ever 
since  they  have  been  on  the  market  and 
at  the  present  time  is  the  possessor  of 
three  machines.  He  has  a  fine  garage 
in  the  rear  of  his  residence  and  is  an 
expert  in  the  handling  of  the  machines. 
He  is  also  something  of  a  machinist  and 
manufacturer.  In  a  room  in  the  base- 
ment of  his  residence  is  a  small  but 
complete  machine  shop.  The  lathes, 
drills,  saws  and  other  machines  are  run 
by  electricity  and  Dr.  Rust  built  the  mo- 
tors. He  has  also  made  all  the  tools  he 
uses  and  a  short  time  ago  he  completed 
a  camera.  Dr.  Rust  worked  hard  for  the 
success  of  the  automobile  parade  and 
in  speaking  of  it  said  he  expected  there 
would  be  at  least  150  cars  in  line.  Dr. 
Rust  has  a  high  reputation  as  a  dentist. 
He  started  in  practice  forty-eight  years 
ago  and  has  been  located  in  this  city 
ever  since. 


GRAND   ARMY  CONVENTION 


Hundreds  of  the  gray-haired  vete- 
rans of  the  Civil  war,  filled  with  the 
stirring  spirit  of  the  joyous  occasion, 
came  to  town  by  every  train,  accom- 
panied by  women  folks,  to  attend  the 
thirty-eighth  annual  encampment  of  the 
Department  of  Connecticut,  which  last- 
ed two  days. 

Immediately  upon  arrival  the  visitors 
were  taken  in  tow  by  their  Meriden 
brethren.  "You  own  the  town  while 
you're  here,"  they  were  told.  "Have  a 
good  time,"  and  the  young-old  surviv- 
ors of  the  great  struggle  proceeded  to 
follow  directions.  The  commodious  G. 
A.  R.  building  on  Colony  street  was  the 
gathering  place  for  the  "vets"  and  there 


they  swappped  reminiscences  and  re- 
newed old  acquaintances.  If  any  peo- 
ple enjoyed  the  celebration  of  the  looth 
anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  of  Meriden,  they  seemed  to.  Every 
one  did  his  share  to  make  it  pleasant  for 
the  honored   wearers  of  the  blue. 

In  groups  many  of  the  visitors 
started  out  soon  after  they  arrived  to 
see  the  sights.  "I'm  going  to  do  this 
Midway,"  one  lively  old  soldier  declared 
and  it  wasn't  long  before  his  example 
was  being  followed  by  many  of  the  oth- 
ers. "A  great  time.  Meriden  is  doing 
herself  proud,"  was  the  verdict  after 
they  had  seen  only  part  of  the  big  show. 

Judging  by  the  enthusiasm  displayed 


104 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


GRAND  ARMY  HALL, 
Headquarters  of  G.  A.  R.  Convention. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


105 


EDWARD  HARLAND, 
First  Commander  of  Connecticut  Department,  G.  A.  R. 


io6 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


by  the  vets  and  way  in  which  they  en- 
tered into  the  festivities,  "old  soldier" 
is  a  misnomer. 

The  first  business  of  the  day  was 
the  meeting  of  the  council  of  adminis- 
tration at  Department  Commander  Al- 
ber  A.  May's  headquarters  in  the  Mer- 
iden  house  at  9  a.  m.  Those  permitted 
to  attend  this  conference  and  who  were 
present  were : 

OFFICERS. 

Commander,  Albert  A.  May,  Post  8, 
Meriden ;  S  V.  Commander,  Franklin 
Ball,  Post  13,  Bristol;  J.  V.  Com- 
mander, L.  W.  Scofield,  Post  23,  Stam- 
ford ;  Chaplain,  William  F.  Hilton,  Post 
50,  Hartford. 

OFFICIAL    STAFF. 

Assistant  Adjutant-General,  John  H. 
Thacher,  Post  50,  Hartford ;  Assistant 
Quartermaster  General,  Wm.  E.  Mor- 
gan, Post  17,  New  Haven;  Inspector, 
Wm.  Ferguson,  Post  4,  South  Manches- 
ter; Chief  Mustering  Officer,  L.  A. 
Northrop,  Post  36,  Wallingford ;  Judge 
Advocate,,  J.  F.  Simmons,  Post  33, 
Winsted ;  Senior  Aide-de-Camp,  James 
R.    Sloane,   Post  8,   Meriden. 

COUNCIL    OF    ADMINISTRATION. 

Thomas  Boudren,  Post  3,  Bridgeport; 
D.  C.  Kilbourn,  Post  80,  Litchfield;  L. 
D.  Phelps,  Post  71,  Rockville;  Henry 
F.  Royce,   Post  30,  Willimantic. 

The  council  transacted  routine  busi- 
ness only  and,  acting  as  an  auditing 
board  on  financial  statemenjts,  found 
everything  O.  K.  By  their  session  much 
work  was  relieved  from  the  encamp- 
ment. 

At  ID  o'clock  the  encampment  was 
called  to  order  in  the  auditorium  of  the 
Town  hall,  only  the  representatives  of 
the  various  posts  of  the  state  being  ad- 
mitted.    Reports    were    read. 

The  report  of  Commander  May  is 
summarized  as  follows : 

ADDRESS    OF   THE    DEPARTMENT    COM. 

Comrades   of   the   Department   of   Con- 
necticut, Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic.       Members    of    the    Thirty-ninth 
Annual  Encampment. 
Through  the  kind  dealings  of  a  Gra- 
cious   Providence,   we   are  permitted   to 
gather   in   this   beautiful   city   in   annual 
encampment.     To-day    marks    the    com- 
pletion of  another  j-ear  of  our  existence 


and  we  are  still  spared,  as  monuments 
of  God's  mercy,  to  meet  and  greet  each 
other  in  glad  reunion. 

One  year  ago,  by  the  expressed  wish 
of  the  members  of  the  thirty-eighth  an- 
nual encampment,  you  elected  me  to  the 
high  and  honorable  position  of  depart- 
ment commander.  I  accepted  the  posi- 
tion with  fear  and  trembling.  I  had 
some  conception  of  the  duties  of  the 
office,  but  feared  my  ability  to  discharge 
those  duties,  or  meet  the  requirements. 
The  year  has  come  and  gone.  Every 
question,  every  phase  of  the  work  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
all  the  duties  of  the  department  com- 
mander have  been  met  and  settled  as 
they  have  come  up,  without  fear  or  fa- 
vor. The  year  has  come  to  a  close; 
my  record  as  department  commander  is 
completed ;  and  to-day  I  come  before 
you,  to  give  an  account  of  my  steward- 
ship, whether  it  has  been  good  or  evil. 

MY   STAFF. 

No  commander  ever  had  a  better  staff. 
I  feel  that  I  have  been  greatly  blessed 
and  encouraged  by  associating  with  the 
members  of  the  staff,  all  of  whom  have 
performed  their  duties  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  commander,  and  I 
believe  to  the  department  as  well. 
Where  all  have  done  so  well  it  is  hard 
to  meet  out  praise  to  one  that  does  not 
apply  to  them  all.  In  selecting  the  staflf 
I  did  not  consult  any  one,  but  selected 
those  whom  I  believed  would  be  con- 
genial and  companionable  and  true 
Grand  Army  men.  The  feeling  comes 
to  me  that  everj^  choice  was  a  wise  one. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
staft'  has  been  led  a  hard  and  strenuous 
chase  up  and  down  the  state,  and  none 
of  them  have  felt  quite  equal  to  the 
task,  but  I  have  almost  always  been 
accompanied  by  one  or  more.  I  feel 
that  I  should  be  remiss  in  my  duty  if 
I  did  not  say  a  "word  in  reference  to 
at  least  three  members ;  namely,  the  A. 
A.  G.,  he  A.  Q.  M.  G.  and  the  patriotic 
instructor.  Comrades  Thacher  and  Mor- 
gan are  too  well  and  favonably  known 
to  you  all  to  need  any  special  mention, 
yet  I  desire  to  say  that  two  better,  more 
painstaking  and  careful  officers  it  would 
be  hard  to  find.  I  have  ever  found 
them  kind,  courteous  and  ready  to  as- 
sist in  every  way  possible. 

After  the  meeting  of  the  national  en- 
campment it  became  my  duty  to  appoint 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


107 


ALBERT  A.  ^lAY, 
Department   Commander,   Connecticut   G.   A.   R. 


io8 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


a  patriotic  instructor,  who  became  a 
member  of  the  staff.  The  position  was 
tendered  to  Comrade  Nelson  L.  Bish- 
op, of  Norwich,  and  after  much  per- 
suasion he  accepted.  He  has  been 
zealous,  active  and  progressive,  and  has 
formulated  plans  that  must  be  of  great 
advantage   to   the   departmtnt.     He    has 


GEN.   FRANKLIN    BALL, 
Senior  Vice  Department  Commander. 

proved  himself  to  be  the  right  man  in 
the    right    place. 

To  every  member  of  my  staff  I  ex- 
tend my  personal  thanks  for  their  uni- 
form kindness  and  courtesy.  We  have 
been  a  happy  family,  and  I  love  you  all. 

AIDES. 

Many  of  the  aides,  both  regular  and 
special,  have  done  good  work  in  visit- 
ing with  me,  in  cheering,  and  encour- 
aging me  on  my  way,  and  to  them  I 
express   my    sincere   thanks. 

soldiers'  home. 

Your  commander  has  taken  a  very 
active  interest  in  the  home.  He  has 
visited  it  a  great  many  times.  Some 
times  the  officers  knew  he  was  coming, 
and    at   other   times   they   did   not;    but 


he  has  always  found  them  ready  and 
dressed  for  company ;  it  has  always 
been  the  same. 

On  July  8,  1905,  together  with  his  ex- 
cellency, Governor  Roberts,  the  mem- 
bers of  my  staff,  the  soldiers'  hospital 
board,  the  soldiers'  home  commi^ttee 
and  the  council  of  administration,  a 
visit  was  made  to  the  home.  The  lack 
of  suitable  sanitary  accommodations 
was  pointed  out,  and  it  was  voted  to 
have  this  defect  remedied.  The  com- 
mander also  called  attention  to  the  lack 
of  amusement,  and  suggested  pool  ta- 
bles. He  was  informed  that  if  the  de- 
partment of  Connecticut  would  furnish 
the  tables,  the  board  would  furnish  the 
room.  It  is  needless  to  repeat  what 
was  published  in  general  orders.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say,  the  tables  were  purchased, 


COL.   LEWIS   A.   NORTHROP, 
Chief   Mustering   Officer. 

thanks  to  the  generosity  of  the  com- 
rades ;  the  room  was  provided,  thanks 
to  the  hospital  board.  The  tables  were 
installed,  and  on  Monday,  January  I, 
1906  ,a  large  and  happy  party,  includ- 
ing Governor  Roberts,  assembled  at 
the  home  for  the  purpose  of  formally 
opening   the   pool    room.     The   occasion 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


109 


will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who 
were  present.  We  now  have  three  pool 
tables  and  one  billiard  table,  and  all  in 
good  condition  in  a  beautiful  room.  If 
any  of  you  desire  to  know  whether  or 
not  these  tables  are  appreciated,  go 
down  any  day  and  see  for  yourself. 
Late   in   the   fall   the   sanitary   improve 


COL.   WM.   FERGUSON, 
Department    Inspector. 

ments  were  completed,  electricity  was 
put  in,  and  other  things  done  for  the 
betterment  of  the  condition  of  our 
comrades  at  the  home ;  and  now  it  can 
be  said  that  no  soldiers'  home  any- 
where is  better  managed,  better  equipped 
or  more  like  a  home,  and  it  can  also 
be  said  that  no  state  in  the  Union  is 
more  free  or  lavish  with  its  funds  for 
the  aid  of  the  old  soldier,  than  our  own 
state  of   Connecticut. 

W.     R.     C.     HOME. 

Your  attention  has  been  called  many 
times  during  the  year  to  the  noble  work 
accomplished  by  the  W.  R.  C,  and  the 
establishing  of  the  beautiful  home  at 
Cromwell  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
old  soldier  and  his  wife.  They  have 
done  as  only  true,  loyal,  loving  women 


can  do.  They  need  our  assistance  in 
many  ways ;  they  need  financial  aid,  but 
they  need  our  recognition  and  our  in- 
fluence more.  They  are  coming  be- 
fore the  next  Legislature  to  ask  for 
aid.  With  the  influence  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
and  with  our  full  endorsement  of  the 
home,  they  can  be  successful ;  for  I  be- 
lieve our  Legislature  stands,  or  will 
stand,  ready  to  assist  such  a  noble,  such 
a  praiseworthy  object. 

On  February  i,  1906,  a  most  glorious 
and  beautiful  day,  there  was  gathered 
in  Cromwell  one  of  the  largest,  if  not 
the  largest,  number  of  people  that  was 
ever  seen  in  the  town  at  one  time.  It 
was  the  opening  of  the  W.  R.  C.  home 
and  certainly  no  home  has  ever  had  a 
more  auspicious  opening.  More  than  a 
thousand  men  and  women  from  every 
part  of  the   state  were  present  and  all 


COL.    JOHN    H.    THACHER, 
Assistant    Adjutant    General. 

spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  home 
and  its  beautiful  surroundings.  The 
dedicatory  services,  which  were  held 
in  one  of  the  near-by  churches,  were  of 
a  very  high  order  and  fully  in  keeping 
with  the  noble  objects  for  which  the 
home  is  established. 


no 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


I  therefore  recommend  that  as  a  de- 
partment we  fully  endorse  the  work  of 
the  W.  R.  C.  in  establishing  this  home, 
and  pledge  them  our  influence  and  our 
support. 

SPECIAL     COMMITTEES. 

December  31,  1905,  the  commander 
appointed  a  committee  of  one  comrade 


WM.  E.  MORGAN, 
Assistant    Quartermaster    General. 

from  each  post  in  Fairfield  county  to 
take  into  consideration  the  formation 
of  a  county  organization,  similar  to  those 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  The  organ- 
ization has  not  yet  ben  completed.  I  be- 
lieve it  is  a  good  thing  and  should  be 
tried. 

December  22,  1905,  word  was  received 
that  there  was  danger  of  the  Eldridge 
collection  of  war  relics  being  purchased 
and  sent  out  of  the  state.  Believing 
this  rare  and  complete  collection  ought 
to  remain  in  the  state,  a  committee 
of  three  was  appointed  to  take  this  mat- 
ter into  consideration,  with  the  result 
that  a  public  meeting  was  held  in  Unity 
hall,  Hartford,  and  a  committee  of  eight 
gentlemen  from  different  parts  of  the 
state  was  selected  to  arrange  with  Mr. 


Eldridge  to  keep  the  collection  in  the 
state  until  after  the  meeting  of  our  next 
Legislature.  I  feel  we  ought  to  use  our 
best  exertions  to  have  this  collection 
remain  in  Connecticut. 

DEDICATIONS. 

Your  commander  was  invited  and 
participated  in  the  dedication  of  three 
monuments;  namely,  June  16,  in  New 
Haven,  October  4,  in  North  Haven,  and 
October  7  in  Ludlow,   Vermont. 

NATIONAL  ENCAMPMENT. 

I  doubt  if  a  more  congenial  party  ever 
left  Connecticut  on  a  more  perfect  day 
than  did  the  party  of  147  that  started 
for  Denver  Friday,  the  first  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1905,  and  from  the  time  the 
train  started  until  we  reached  Denver 
there  was  practically  not  one  thing  to 


DR.  LEVI  JEVVETT, 
Medical  Director,  G.  A.  R. 

disturb  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  the 
party.  To  describe  minutely  each  inci- 
dent of  the  trip,  each  scene  which  pre- 
sented itself  to  our  view  in  going  over 
mountains  and  through  valleys,  would 
take  too  much  valuable  time,  and  make 
altogether  too  voluminous  a  journal  of 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Ill 


proceedings,  so  I  can  only  touch  upon 
what  was  to  me,  and  I  think  to  most 
of  the  party,  a  continual  revelation  of 
the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  this  our  be- 
loved country.  The  picturesque  scen- 
ery of  the  Lehigh  valley,  the  Allegheny 
mountains,  and  the  villages  nestling 
among  them — who  can  describe  it  all, 
as   one   scene   after   another   opened   up 


COL.   NELSON   L.   BISHOP, 
Department    Patriotic    Instructor. 

before  us  as  we  sped  along;  and  when 
night  closed  in  upon  us,  it  found  us 
straming  our  e\es  to  catch  ghmpses  of 
still    other   scenes. 

We  reached  Chicago  about  i  o'clock 
Saturday,  resuming  our  journey  just 
before  midnight,  and  reached  Omaha  at 
noon  Sunday.  All  afternoon,  all  night, 
and  part  of  the  next  day,'  we  traveled, 
crossing  the  great  state  of  Nebraska.  I 
never  realized  the  greatness,  the  vast- 
ness  of  this  country,  as  I  did  while 
passing  through  some  of  those  great 
states.  I  know  there  must  be  great  at- 
tractions in  the  state  of  Nebraska,  but 
to  us,  traveling  over  the  U.  P.  railway, 
it  was  a  dreary  outlook.  For  miles 
and  miles,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach 
no  living  thing  was  to  be  seen,  but  here 
and  there  a  prairie  dog. 


We  reached  Cheyenne  Monday  morn- 
ing, and  here  some  of  us  decided  to 
stop  for  the  day,  and  witness  the  sports 
of  what  is  called  "Frontier  Day,"  and 
we  felt  well  repaid,  for  the  scenes  were 
truh'  nerve-trying  and  soul-stirring  to 
the  10,000  or  more  people  who  assem- 
bled to  witness  them. 

We  left  Cheyenne  at  half  past  7  Tues- 
day morning,  reaching  Denver,  the  ob- 
jective point  of  our  trip,  about  noon. 
The  first  impression  we  had  of  Denver 
was  that  it  was  packed  solid  full  of 
people;  that  there  could  never  be  room 
for  the  vast  throng  that  was  pushing 
and  elbowing  its  way  up  17th  street; 
but  we  soon  found  that  the  city  could 
taVe  care  of  even  a  much  larger  num- 
ber. 

On  every  hand  were  evidences  of 
the    thought    and    precaution    taken    by 


LATE  I.  B.  HYATT, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

the  committee  of  arrangements  and  the 
committee  of  entertainment,  and  of  the 
taste  and  ability  displayed  by  the  com- 
mitte  of  decorations.  Flags  and  bunt- 
ing everywhere,  and  at  night  the  elec- 
tric lights  in  many  designs  and  colors 
made  a  brilliant  and  enchanting  specta- 
cle. 


112 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Wednesday,  the  day  of  the  parade, 
was  a  perfect  day,  and  we  venture  to 
say  that  no  encampment  of  the  G.  A. 
R.  ever  had  a  more  propitious  opening. 
Connecticut  certainly  made  a  grand 
showing  with  sixty  men  in  line,  headed 
by  a  quartette  of  Denver  young  ladies 
dressed  in  the  national  colors,  acting 
as  escort,  which  was  certainly  a  taking 
feature. 


HON.   MORGAN    G.    BULKELEY, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

The  National  convention  assembled 
at  10  o'clock  Thursday  morning,  and 
was  a  very  successful  and  harmonious 
convention. 

After  the  close  of  the  convention,  we 
spent  a  few  days  in  Denver  in  sight- 
seeing. We  took  a  trip  over  the  Switz- 
erland trail,  and  no  words  of  mine  can 
fully  describe  it.  It  was  grand  beyond 
anything  my  imagination  could  have 
painted. 

Wednesday,  the  17th,  we  wended  our 
wav  towards  the  Pacific  coast,  as  far 
as  Salt  Lake  City  and  Park  City,  Utah, 
where  we  spent  ten  delightful  days. 
We  visited  and  bathed  in  the  great  Salt 
Lake,  visited  the  Mormon  tabernacle, 
and   many   other   places   of   note   . 

Sunday,  the  24th,  we  turned  our 
faces  homeward,  where  we  arrived  the 
30th  day  of  September,  after  the  most 
delightful   trip  of  my  whole  life. 


VISITS. 

Your  commander,  figuratively  speak- 
ing has  had  his  headquarters  in  the 
saddle  during  the  year.  He  has  vis- 
ited very  nearly  all  the  posts,  and 
some  he  has  visited  two  and  even  three 
times.  Everywhere  he  has  ben  received 
with   a  warm,   loyal,   soldier's  welcome. 

April  23,  1906,  we  attended  the  an- 
nual gathering  of  the  Second  company 
of  the  Governor's  Foot  Guard  of  New 
Haven,  which  was  exceedingly  pleasant. 

April  25,  1906,  we  visited  the  annual 
convention  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  in 
Hartford,  and  had  a  pleasant  visit 
with   them. 

May  9,  1906,  we  visited  the  annual 
convention  and  camp  fire  of  the  W.  R. 
C.  in  New  London,  and  received  a  very 
cordial   reception. 


WILBUR  F.  ROGERS, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

TYLER     POST,     50 — LEWIS      W.      SMITH. 

E^rly  in  my  administration  a  con- 
troversy arose  in  Tyler  post.  No.  50,  as 
to  who  was  the  senior  past  post  com- 
mander. The  matter  was  referred  to 
the  department  commander,  and  by  him 
to  the  judge  advocate.  In  the  judge 
advocate's  report  you  will  find  the  pro- 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


113 


ceedings  and  recommendations.  Tyler 
post  has  petitioned  the  department  com- 
mander to  have  the  honors  restored  to 
Comrade  Smith.  I  most  heartily  rec- 
ommend  such   restoration. 

PATRIOTIC     INSTRUCTOR. 

The  wisdom  of  the  national  encamp- 
ciient    in    creating    a    new    staff    officer, 


N.   BURTON   ROGERS. 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

"Patriotic  linstrnctor,"  to  my  mind  has 
been  illustrated  by  the  increased  inter- 
est that  has  been  taken  in  this  and 
other  states  in  diffusing  the  spirit  of 
patriotism  among  the  children  of  the 
public  schools.  This  matter  is  fully 
and  properly  brought  to  your  attention 
in  the  report  of  the  department  patriotic 
instructor.  Your  commander  recom- 
mends that  in  the  future,  in  this  state, 
the  last  school  day  before  Memorial 
day,  be  set  apart  as  the  daj'  for  visit- 
ing schools,  and  for  them  to  have  their 
patriotic    exercises. 

OBITUARY. 

During  this  ytor  the  department  has 
been  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
four  of  our  esteemed  comrades  and  past 
department  officers ;  all  good  soldiers, 
good      officers,    good      comrades,    good 


men,  true  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
G.  A.  R.,  honest  with  their  fellow  men 
and  citizens  of  exen^plary  character. 
May  their  memory  remain  with  us  to 
cheer  us :  Irving  W.  Phelps,  of  Win- 
ster,  past  junior  vice  department  com- 
mander, died  at  his  home  August  24, 
1905,  and  was  buried  in  Winsted  by 
Palmer  post.  No.  ;i2-  William  H.  Pier- 
pont,  past  department  commander,  died 
in  Springfield,  ]Mass.,  December  27, 
1905,  in  his  seventieth  year.  He  was 
buried  in  Fair  Haven  with  Masonic 
honors,  although  the  G  .A.  R.  took  a 
part.  The  department  commander  was 
in  attendance.  Isaac  B.  Hyatt,  past 
department  commander,  died  at  his 
home  in  Meriden,  April  28,  1906,  just 
past  his  fifty-eighth  birthday,  one  of 
our  youngest  and  best  comrades.  '  He 
was  buried  in  Walnut  Grove  with  full 
G.   A.   R.    service,   and   his   was   one   of 


JUDGE  A.   B.   BEERS, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

the  largest  funerals  ever  seen  in  Mer- 
iden. The  department  commander  was 
present.  John  K.  Bucklyn,  past  depart- 
ment commander,  died  at  his  home  in 
Mystic,  May  15,  1906.  He  was  seventy- 
one  years  of  age.  The  funeral  was 
held  in  his   school  room  and  was  very 


114 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


impressive;  he  was  buried  with  G.  A. 
R.  service,  by  Post  55.  The  depart- 
ment   commander    was    present. 

My  comrades,  it  behooves  each  of  us 
to  be  also  ready,  for  in  an  hour  when, 
we  think  not  the  Son  of  Man  cometh. 


CHARLES  L.  UPHAM, 
First  Junior  Vice  Com.  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

CONCLUSION. 

My  comrades,  in  concluding  this  my 
address  or  report  ,1  do  so  with  mingled 
feelings  of  joy  and  sorrow.  Joy  at 
what  has  been  accomplished  during  the 
year,  joy  at  what  has  come  to  me  per- 
sonally in  my  intercourse  with  the  com- 
rades and  their  friends  throughout  the 
state,  joy  that  God  in  His  infinite 
mercy  has  been  so  kind  toward  us. 
Sorrow  that  I  have  not  accomplished 
more,  sorrow  at  the  thought  of  the 
small  posts  who  are  struggling  to  re- 
tain an  eixstence,  sorrow  that  I  cannot 
shake  hands  with  every  indiviudal  mem- 
ber of  the  department  of  Connecticut, 
and  tell  them  how  grateful  I  am  for 
the  honor  and  confidence  they  have 
reposed    in    me. 

In  closing  let  me  again  thank  you 
for  your  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy 
to   me.     I    have    endeavored    to    do    mv 


duty  as  I  found  it,  and  I  cannot  recall 
a  single  official  act  of  mine  that  I 
would  change,  were  I  called  upon  to 
render  another  decision  under  like  cir- 
cumstances. 

The  department  was  never  in  better 
fraternal  condition  than  now ;  peace 
and  harmony,  good  will  and  love  pre- 
vails the  entire  length  and  breadth  of 
the  state. 

I  am  to  surrender  to  another  the  au- 
thority you  placed  in  my  hands  one 
year  ago.  I  bespeak  for  my  successor, 
whoever  he  may  be,  the  same  loyal  sup- 
port you  have  given  me.  I  pledge  my 
hearty  support  to  whoever  follows  me, 
and  assure  you,  my  comrades,  that  my 
interest  in  the  G.  A.  R.  will  not  grow 
less  after  my  retirement  tiom  office. 
Anything  I  can  do  at  any  time  for  my 
post    or    individual    member,    you    have 


W.   C.   HILLARD, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

but  to  command   and   I   will   obey.  Re- 
membering   always    that    "None    are    fit 
to  command  who  have  not  first  learned 
to    obye."     God   bless   and    keep   you. 
Submitted  in  F.  C.  and  L. 

ALBERT    A.    MAY, 
Department   Commander. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


115 


REPORT   OF   ADTUTANT   GENERAL. 

A.  A.  May,  Department  Commander, 
Department  of  Connecticut,  G.  A. 
R.  Comrades: 

To  you  and  through  you  to  the  com- 
mander of  the  department  I  have  the 
honor  to  make  my  report,  in  accord- 
ance with   the   rules   and   regulations  of 


GUSTAVUS  D.   BATES, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

our    order,    for    the    year    ending    June 
30,  1906. 

Members  in  good  standing  De- 
cember 31,  1905   3,936 

Gained    by   muster    42 

Gainted   by  transfer    29 

Gained   by   reinstatement    ....  250 

Total  gain    311 

T      .  t,      J      ,  4,247 

Lost   by   death    149 

Lost  honorable  discharge   14 

Lost    transfer    45 

Lost    suspension     100 

Lost    delinquent 43 

Total    loss    351 

Remaining  in  good   standing,  3,896 


We  have  lost  one  post  by  surrender 
of  charter,  Post  83,  Simsbury.  A  net 
loss  of  one  post  and  forty  comrades, 
not  a  bad  showing  when  you  take  into 
consideration  the  death  rate  of  149,  and 
delinquent  report  of  forty-three,  which 
practically  made  a  gain  of  three  over 
last  year  as  this  post  has  since  made 
good. 

It  has  been  the  busiest  j'ear  in  the 
department  for  a  long  time.  Energy 
and  life  seemed  to  be  infused  into  it. 
I  am  pained  to  have  to  report  the 
passing  over  of  so  many  of  the  com- 
rades, a  good  proportion  my  personal 
and  dear  friends.  It  makes  my  task 
harder  to  perform  to  lose  them  and, 
sadder  to  report  and  know  it.  I  am 
assured  that  the  work  of  the  depart- 
ment has  been  faithfully  cared  for  in 
so  far  as  the  other  officers  are  con- 
cerned, and   I  trust  my  own  will  meet 


IRA  E.  HICKS, 
Past  Commander  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

the    approval    of   yourself   and    the    de- 
partment  at   large. 

To  you  I  have  only  the  warmest 
words  of  thanks  for  the  large  amount 
of  work  you  have  done  that  naturally 
belonged  to  my  office,  and  personally 
my  sincere  regard.     If  I  have  met  your 


ii6 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


approval  and  merit  the  honor  conferred 
on  me  in  your  appointment  I  am  more 
than  repaid. 

Yours  in  F.,  C.  &  L. 

JOHN    H.   THACHER, 
Assistant    Adj  utant-General. 


DEPARTMENT  REPORTS. 
Following  is  a  brief  summary  of  the 
reports  of  the  G.  A.  R.  department  of- 
ficers  and  committees  : 

QUARTERMASTER     MORGAN. 

Assistant  Quartermaster  General  W. 
E.  Morgan,  of  New  Haven,  receipts 
during  the  year  of  $1,590.78,  and  dis- 
'bursements  of  $1,670.81,  leaving  a  bal- 
ance with  cash  on  hand  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  of  $5,045.38.  of  $4,965,- 
35.  Other  property  inventories  $609.- 
39  so  that  the  total  assets  of  the  de- 
partment are  $5,574.74. 

MEDICAL    INSPECTOR. 

Department  Medical  Inspector  Levi 
Jewett,  of  Cobalt,  reported  that  there 
had  been  no  unusual  cases  of  disease 
and  death  during  the  year.  He  had 
visited  the  Soldiers'  home  and  found 
everj'thing  satisfactory. 

DEPARTMENT      INSPECTOR. 

Department  Inspector  William  Fer- 
guson, of  South  Manchester,  said  he 
had  no  report  as  there  was  no  inspec- 
tion as  formerly  and  he  would  recom- 
mend the  abolishment  of  the  office  if 
it  were  not  for  the  opportunity  of 
serving  as  staff  officer. 

MUSTERING    OFFICER. 

Chief  Mustering  Ofiicer  Lewis  A. 
Northrop,  of  Wallingford,  reported  on 
the  installations  of  officers  of  the  var- 
ious  posts    during   the   year. 

CHAPLAIN    HILTON. 

Department  Chaplain  William  F. 
Hilton,  of  Hartford,  reported  that  fif- 
ty-three posts  had  attended  Memorial 
day  services  and  so  reported  to  him, 
2,351  comrades  participating  in  the  ser- 
vices. There  were  12,371  graves  deco- 
rated. He  reported  that  703  graves  of 
soldiers  were  without  headstones  and 
suggested  activity  along  that  line. 

soldiers'   HOME. 

William  C.  Hillard,  chairman  of  the 
Soldiers'  Home  committee,  reported  that 
they  had  visited  the  home  and  detailed 
some   of   the    improvements    made.     He 


reported  the  home  in  excellent  condi- 
tion and  well  managed.  He  expressed 
thanks  to  Governor  Roberts  for  his  in- 
terest  in   this   matter. 

PATRIOTIC    INSTRUCTOR. 

Patriotic  Instructor  N.  L.  Bishop,  of 
Norwich,  reported  that  a  circular  let- 
ter recommending  school  exercises  and 
the  introduction  in  the  schools  of  the 
"Salute  of  the  Flag"  had  been  sent  to 
sixty-two  posts.  Reports  from  twenty- 
eight  posts  indicated  that  the  "Salute 
to  the  Flag"  is  generally  practiced  in 
public  and  private  schools  in  their 
jurisdiction  and  that  the  authorities 
have  generally  co-operated  in  promot- 
ing   school    memorial    exercises. 

JUDGE    ADVOCATE. 

Judge  Advocate  F.  L.  Simmons,  of 
Winsted  reported  but  one  case  of  dis- 
sension, that  in  Tyler  post,  of  Hart- 
ford, over  the  past  post  commander, 
which  had  been  satisfactorily  settled. 

The  reports  were  then  referred  to 
the  proper  committees.  The  other  mat- 
ter of  public  interest  was  the  grateful 
acceptance  by  the  encampment  of  the 
invitation  to  be  present  at  the  exer- 
cises at  the  First  M.  E.  church  when 
Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chapter,  D. 
A.  R.,  presented  a  memorial  tablet  to 
the  Curtis   Memorial  library. 

encampment  adjourned. 

The  encampment  adjourned  at  noon 
and  convened  again  at  1 130.  Then  bus- 
iness of  minor  importance  was  tran- 
sacted, and  at  2  o'clock  the  veterans 
marched  over  to  the  First  M.  E.  church. 

At  4  o'clock  the  soldiers  assembled 
at  the  Town  hall  for  the  big  G.  A.  R. 
parade,  a  splendid  procession  and  one 
that  elicited  favorable  comment  all 
along  the  line.  The  formation  was  on 
Main  street.  The  order  of  formation 
was   as  follows : 

Marshal,    Department    Commander    Al- 
bert A.  May  and  staff. 
Police  Escort. 
Band. 
Department    Posts,    according    to    Post 
Numbers. 
Merriam  Post,  No.  8. 

Route  of  March:  East  Main  to  Col- 
ony, Colony  to  opposite  State  school, 
countermarch  on  Colony  to  West  Main, 
to  Butler,  countermarch  on  West  Main 
to  East  Main,  to  Pratt,  to  Center  and 
dismiss. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


117 


At  8  o'clock  at  night  a  camp  fire 
was  held  at  the  auditorium  of  the  town 
hall.  Music  was  furnished  by  the  Mer- 
iden  Military  band  and  the  New  York 
Glee  club,  of  which  William  Heaton, 
formerly    of   this    city,    is    a    member. 

The  exercises  were  opened  with  a  se- 
lection by  the  band,  after  which  the 
invocation  of  the  Divine  blessing  was 
made  by  Rev.    I.    N.    Phelps,    rector  of 


S.   B.   HORNE, 
Past   Commander,   Conn.    G.    A.    R. 

All  Saints"  church.  The  quartet  then 
sang  "The  Bugle  Song.''  after  which 
Commander  James  R.  Sloane,  of  Mer- 
riam  post  welcomed  the  visitors  in  .> 
bright,  happy  speech,  in  which  he  paid 
eloquent  tribute  to  what  Meriden  did 
for  the  nation  in  the  Civil  War. 


Commander  Sloane  was  followed  by 
Mayor  T.  L.  Reilly,  who  in  a  neat  speech 
welcomed  the  encampment  in  behalf  of 
the  city.  He  .said  that  the  presence  of 
so  many  veterans  of  the  civil  war  in  the 
city  and  the  inspiring  parade  of  the  af- 
ternoon was  a  lesson  which  the  people 
of  the  city  will  not  soon  forget.  He 
extended  the  freedom  of  the  city  to 
the  G.  A.  R.  men  and  said  that  he  was 
confident  that  the  freedom  would  not  be 
abused.  His  speech  was  received  with 
cheers. 


After  a  selection  by  the  band  De- 
partment Commander  May,  responded 
to  the  address  of  welcome,  speaking  in 
part  as  follows :  "I  can  hardly  find 
words  to  express  my  feelings  on  this 
occasion.  I  have  listened  to  the  words 
of  the  post  commander  and  our  mayor 
with  much  interest.  If  I  were  a  resi- 
dent of  some  other  city  it  would  be  easy 
to  respond  to  them,  but  I  am  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city  in  which  the  depart- 
ment of  Connecticut  is  a  guest.  I  am 
proud  that  we  have  such  a  post  com- 
mander and  such  a  mayor,  whose  words 
have  the  right  ring,  i  rejoice  that  the 
encampment  came  here  on  such  a  week, 
when  the  city  is  bedecked  out  for  the 
holiday  which  we  are  all  enjoying.  I 
am  pleased  with  our  accommodations. 
We  are  the  first  people  to  occupy  thiis 
splendid  building,  which  has  been  fitted 
up  especially  for  our  benefit.  Com- 
rades, you  did  not  elect  me  a  year  ago 
because  I  was  a  speechmaker  and  I  will 


SELAH  G.  BLAKEMAN, 
Past    Commander,   Conn.    G.    A.    R. 

introduce  Department  Chaplain  Hilton, 
who  is  better  able  to  respond  for  the  de- 
partment than  I  am." 

CHAPLAIN   HILTON. 
Chaplain   Hilton   said   in  part :   "Com- 
mander,  this  is  a  peculiar  honor  thrust 
upon  me  at  a  time  when  it  seems  that 
other  voices  should  be  heard.     The  Sil- 


ii8 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


ver  City  is  well  named.  It  has  the 
ring  of  true  hospitality  and  the  tone 
is  no  uncertain  one.  His  Honor,  the 
mayor,  sized  up  the  true  spirit  of  the 
Grand  Army  when  he  said  that  the 
freedom  of  the  city  so  cordially  ex- 
tended to  us  will  not  be  abused  by  a 
^.  A.  R.  man.  We  are  here  as  G.  A. 
R.  men ;  men  of  character,  who  will 
stand  for  all  that  is  right  and  demand 
all    good    things    be    sustained. 

It  was  right,  Commander,  that  the 
G.  A.  R.  should  dedicate  the  auditorium 
of  your  new  town  hall.  Here  we  stand 
on  the  floor  of  the  house  where  the  tone 
and  color  well  symbolize  the  spirit  of 
patriotism.  As  you  look  on  the  drap- 
ery let  the  spirit  that  its  colors  symbol- 
ize fill  your  hearts.  Your  Honor,  we 
accept  your  hospitalit}'.  We  are  here, 
your  servants  and  the  servants  of  the 
republic  which  we  all  love  and  uphold, 
God  bless  Meriden.  Ma\^  you  always 
stand,  not  always  as  the  silver  city,  but 
may  you  rise  up  as  the  golden  gate 
of  the  east.  In  the  name  of  the  depart- 
ment commander,  I  accept  your  wel- 
come. 


After  another  song  by  the  quartet, 
which  was  enthusiastically  encored, 
Governor  Henry  Roberts  was  intro- 
duced by  Department  Commander  May, 
who  at  this  point  took  the  chair  for 
the  rest  of  the  evening  and  presided. 
As  the  governor  rose  to  speak  the  band 
played  "Hail  to  the  Chief  and  the  vet- 
erans arose  and  gave  three  rousing 
cheers.  Governor  Roberts  spoke  eim- 
pressively  of  what  the  Grand  Army  had 
done  for  the  nation,  and  of  the  great 
battles  of  the  Civil  War,  in  which  the 
Connecticut  troops  had  a  prominent 
part. 

BAY    STATE   COMMANDER. 

In  introducing  the  next  speaker  Com- 
mander May  said  that  when  it  was  de- 
cided that  the  encampment  was  to  be 
held  in  Meriden  during  the  Centennial 
he  at  once  began  correspondence  with 
Commander-in-Chief  Tanner  and  urged 
him  to  come.  Commander-in-Chief 
Tanner  was  unable  to  do  so,  but  de- 
tailed Department  Commander  J.  Pay- 
son  Bradley,  of  the  department  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, who  made  one  of  the  most 
interesting  speeches  of  the  evening.  It 
follows  in  part : 

"I  take  it  that  you  are  all  friends  of 
the   Grand    Army.     Your   presence  here 


testifies  to  that  fact.  Comrades,  I  come 
in  a  dual  capacity,  as  a  representative 
of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  as  a 
comrade.  Six  years  ago  we  had  a 
Grand  Army  of  600,000  but  we  have 
been  meeting  the  enemy  and  have  not 
been  able  to  repulse  him  as  well  as  we 
did  forty  years  ago.  He's  been  mak- 
ing inroads  into  our  ranks.  Our  num- 
ber has  been  cut  down  to  about  300.000. 
Then  we  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
Now  the  shoulder  touch  is  gone,  but 
we  touch  heart  to  heart   (applause). 

"Our  flag  is  being  supported  and  its 
ideals  and  the  principles  it  represents 
are  upheld  as  firmly  as  it  was  forty 
years  ago.    (Applause). 

"Comrades,  some  of  you  remember 
'Corporal'  Tanner  as  hot  headed  and 
impetuous  and  some  of  you  did  not  like 
his  actions.  Comrades,  Corporal  Tan- 
ner is  older  and  more  conservative. 
Commander  Bradley  spoke  of  the 
friendship  of  President  Roosevelt  for 
the  G.  A.  R.,  telling  of  his  action  when 
about  to  be  inaugurated,  and  members 
of  the  committee  said  that  the  soldiers 
would  march  at  a  quickstep  and  the  G. 
A.  R.  men  would  not  be  able  to  keep  up 
as  they  were  too  old.  President  Roose- 
velt said :  'Gentlemen,  the  Grand  Army 
will  march  in  that  parade  and  they  will 
be  my  immediate  escort  for,  were  it  not 
for  them,  there  would  be  no  inaugura- 
tion.'"  (Cheers  and  applause).  The 
speaker,  "That's  the  kind  of  a  presi- 
dent we've  got  at  Washington,  Theo- 
dore   Roosevelt!"    (Cheers.) 

Commander  Bradley  was  bugler  to 
the  First  Mass.  Commander  ]\Iay 
asked  him  to  bring  his  old  bugle  with 
him.  When  he  showed  it,  battered  as 
it  is,  it  was  received  with  cheers.  As 
he  blew  the  "tattoo"  the  enthusiasm 
knew  no  bounds.  Many  of  the  men  in 
the  room  heard  the  same  bugle  at  Cold 
Harbor.  Some  one  called  for  more  bu- 
gle calls.  Commander  Bradley  shouted : 
"I'm  not  going  to  blow  sick  call,  be- 
cause every  mother's  son  of  you  would 
go  to  the  surgeon  and  get  your  dose 
of  quinine  and  the  'chaser,'  principally 
the    chaser.      (Laughter).) 

"Comrades,  you  have  done  the  city  of 
Meriden  a  signal  honor  by  coming  here 
to-day.  As  his  honor,  the  mayor,  said,, 
you  have  been  an  inspiration  to  all  who 
see  you.  I  could  not  close  without  one 
word :  When  we  were  at  the  front  I 
remembered  those  at  home.  If  there  was 
anything  that  nerved  us  at  the  front  and 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


119 


Strengthened  our  arms  more  than  an- 
other it  was  our  own  dear  mothers, 
wives  and  sweethearts,  praying  that 
God  would  enable  us  to  put  down  the 
rebellion  that  threatened  to  disrupt  our 
nation.  I  have  seen  many  monuments 
to  the  soldiers  of  the  nation  but  I  have 
never  seen  one  to  the  women  of  the 
nation  who  suffered  as  much,  nay  more, 


■     REV.  JOSEPH  J.   WOOLLEY. 
First  Com.  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

than  we.  Such  a  monument  shouuld  be 
of  the  purest  marble,  lasting  as  the  ages. 
"Comrades,  be  true  and  be  strong,  true 
as  the  steel  with  which  we  met  the  ene- 
my forty  or  more  years  ago.  We  are  a 
united  Grand  Army  now  as  we  were 
then  and  we  shall  never  sounds  "taps" 
but  always  the  'reveille.'  Here  Com- 
mander Bradley  sounded  the  reveille 
amid  the  greatest  of  enthusiasm.  "Com- 
rades, I  want  to  send  word  to  Com- 
mander-in-Chief Tanner  that  the  boys 
of  Connecticut  in  annual  encampmest, 
stood  on  their  feet  and  gave  three  rous- 
ing cheers  for  the  grand  old  flag."  The 
audience  arose  and  gave  the  cheers  with 
a  will. 


May  introduced  as  the  principal  speak- 
er of  the  evening,  Attorney  General 
Williarn  A.  King,  whose  address  was 
exceedingly  interesting.  In  beginning 
his  address  Attorney  General  King 
said : 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you  and  glad  that 
you  look  hospitable  and  I  can  feel  at 
home.  Any  man  ought  to  feel  at  home 
in  the  city  where  Abiram  Chamberlain 
lives  (Applause).  I  asked  him  once 
where  his  parents  found  the  name  of 
Abiram.  He  told  me  that  it  was  in  the 
Bible.  I've  never  been  able  to  find  it. 
But  I've  found  that  behind  the  name  I 
have  learned  that  there  was  a  man  of 
noble  character,  whose  ideal  of  public 
office  was  to  support  the  best  interest 
of    the   commonwealth."     (Applause.) 

He      made     a     great     hit     when     he 


After  a  medley  selection  by  the  quar- 
tet and  an  encore  number  Commander 


SAMUEL  FESSENDEN, 
On  Roll  of  Honor,  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

touched  up  the  coal  trust,  the  insurance 
investigation  and  the  Chicago  beef 
scandal  in  characteristic  fashion.  He 
said,  among  other  things,  that  though 
trusts  did  not  fear  the  law  it  was  just 
as  well  to  have  a  little  law  on  hand. 
He  made  a  strong  plea  for  the  primary 
election  law,   so  that  a  caucus   or  con^ 


I20 


CENTENNIAL   OB'    MERIDEN, 


vention  cannot  be  controlled.  Public 
sentiment,  he  said,  is  stronger  than  law. 
Public  sentiment  drove  IMcCurd}'  to  Eu- 
rope, Alexander  to  an  asylum  and  De- 
pew    into    retirement. 


The  next  number  was  a  pleasing  se- 
lection by  the  band,  after  which  Com- 
mander Eugene  A.  Blake,  of  Merriam 
post,  recited  part  of  a  speech  delivered 
at  the  national  encampment  in  San 
Francisco.  The  quartet  then  sang  "The 
Phantom  Hand,"  after  which  a  verse 
of  "America,"  and  the  exercises  were 
over. 

SECOND    DAY'S    SESSION. 

The  second  day's  session  began  at  g 
o'clock  Wednesday  morning  with  about 
500  members  on  the  voting  floor  and 
the    gallery    packed    with    veterans. 

The  most  important  business  of  the 
day  was  the  election  of  officers,  which 
resulted  as  follows : 

Department  commander — Virgil  F. 
McNeil,  of  New  Haven. 

Senior  vice  commander — Thomas  L. 
Bartholomew,   of   Bridgeport. 

Junior  vice  commander — Henry  B. 
Lawrence,  of  New  London. 

Medical  director — Dr.  Levi  Jewett,  of 
Cobalt. 

Chaplain — William  F.  Hilton,  of 
Hartford. 

Council  of  administration — Thomas 
Boudren,  Bridgeport ;  H.  L.  Beach, 
Hartford ;  James  R.  Sloane,  Meriden ; 
Henry  Robbins,  Waterbury,  and 
Charles   Fenton,   Willimantic. 

Delegates  to  the  national  encamp- 
ment at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  in  August 
— William  L.  Schaffer  (at  large),  Hart- 
ford: M.  B.  Schenck,  Meriden;  Ira  B. 
Wildman,  Danbury;  William  H.  Loo- 
mis,  Rockville ;  S.  L.  Schofield,  Stam- 
ford ;  Wallace  S.  Chase,  Norwalk,  and 
G.  B.  Sperry,  New  Britain ;  Alternates 
— A.  W.  Healey,  Winsted ;  James  A. 
Church,  New  Haven ;  George  A.  Tuck- 
er, New  Haven ;  Ebenezer  Bishop,  Put- 
nam ;  Christian  Quinn,  Danbury ; 
Henry  M.  Brown,  Ansonia,  and  George 
Greenman,    Norwich. 

All  the  other  offices  are  appoitive  and, 
with  the  exception  of  the  assistant  ad- 
jutant general,  were  not  chosen  until 
later  on.  In  the  afternoon  Department 
Commander-elect  McNeil  announced 
the  reappointments  of  John  11.  Thach- 
er,    of    Hartford,    a    most    efficient    and 


obliging  officer,  as  assistant  adjutant 
general,  and  William  E.  Morgan,  ,of 
New  Haven,  as  assistant  quartermaster 
general. 

The  other  members  of  the  command- 
er's official  staff,  as  they  are  now,  are : 

Inspector — William  Ferguson,  South 
Manchester. 

Chief  Mustering  Officer — L.  A.  North- 
rop,   W^allingford. 

Judge  Advocate — J.  F.  Simmons, 
Winsted. 

Senior  aide  de  camp — James  R. 
Sloane,    Meriden. 

NOMINATIONS. 

When  the  encampment  began  its  ses- 
sion, the  first  business  was  the  reading 
of  the  committee  reports.  It  was  fol- 
lowed by  Francis  Atwater's  remarks  in 
connection  with  an  alleged  unfriendly 
feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Bristol  post 
toward  the  Dorence  Atwater  monument 
at  Terryville.  After  discussion  on  that 
subject  candidates  were  placed  in  nom- 
ination for*  the  various  offices  and  the 
nominating  had  no  sooner  started  than 
it  was  plain  that  there  was  a  stirring 
battle  on  between  the  supporters  of  Vir- 
gil F.  McNeil  and  Edward  Griswold, 
both  members  of  Admiral  Foote  post. 
New  Haven.  There  wsa  talk  of  spring- 
ing a  dark  horse  from  Litchfield  county, 
but  nothing  came  of  it,  and  the  matter 
simmered  down  tot  ^  hot  struggle  be- 
tween the  two  candidates  of  the  same 
post. 

Foote  post  supported  Mr.  McNeil, 
and  General  Embler,  of  New  Haven, 
placed  his  name  in  nomination  with  a 
stirring  address.  Griswold's  advocates 
were  a  close  second  in  boosting  their 
man  and  soon  an  oratorical  contest 
was  on  that  lasted  over  an  hour.  Mr. 
Griswold's  home  is  in   Guilford. 

When  the  smoke  had  cleared  away 
Comrade  McNeil  had  203  votes  and 
Comrade    Griswold    168. 

Mr.  McNeil  took  the  stage,  in  re- 
sponse to  calls  for  a  speech,  and 
thanked  the  veterans  for  the  high  hon- 
or accorded  him.  He  said  that  he  would 
discharge  his  duties  as  best  he  knew  J 
how  for  the  interests  of  the  Grand  I 
Army  and  asked  the  members  to  give 
him   their  advice   at  all   times. 

His  election  was  pleasing  to  Merriam 
post,  of   Meriden. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  the 
citizens  of  Meriden,  to  Merriam  post, 
to  the  W.  R.  C,  to  the  press  and  to  all 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


121 


who  made  the  stay  of  the  members  of 
the  Connecticut  Department  of  the 
Grand   Army   so    enjoyable. 

At  I  o'clock  adjournment  was  taken 
until  2  p.  m.  At  that  time  Chief  Mus- 
tering officer  Lewis  A.  Northrop,  of 
Wallingford.  installed  the  new  officers 
and  other  business  of  minor  import- 
ance   was    transacted. 


JUDGE   DAVID   TORRANCE, 
On  Roll  of  Honor,  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

It  was  claimed  tht  this  was  one  of 
the  largest  encampments  that  the  de- 
partment ever  had  and  the  vets  united 
in  saying  that  it  was  certainly  the  most 
enjoyable.  They  were  heartily  appre- 
ciative of  Meriden's  hospitality  to  them. 

VIRGIL    F.     m'nEIL. 

Virgil  F.  McNeil,  of  New  Haven,  the 
newly-elected  department  commander, 
gives  the  following  concise  autobiogra- 
phy: 

"I  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sheffield, 
Mass.,  March  i8,  1843.  Our  family 
moved  to  Salisbury  some  two  years  af- 
ter, where  my  time  was  spent  in  farm- 
ing, and  trying  to  get  a  district  school 
education  during  the  winter  season,  un- 
til eighteen  years  of  age  when  I  enlist- 
ed in  the  Seventh  C.  V.,  the  then  Col- 
onel   Alfred    H.    Terrv   and    Lieutenant 


Joseph  R.  Hawley  being  the  two  prin- 
cipal officers.  Served  in  the  Seventh  C. 
V.  three  years,  Department  of  the 
South,  Army  of  the  James,  and  since 
returning  to  Connecticut  have  contin- 
uously been  engaged  in  business ;  some 
years  in  the  iron  business  and  the  bal- 
ance of  time  in  insurance,  having  es- 
tablished that  branch  in  New  Haven  in 
1885,  and  now  representing  some  twen- 
ty-seven lire  companies  and  other  com- 
panies for  different  lines,  boiler  liability 
and  plate  glass,  etc." 


MR.   ATWATER-S   APPEAL. 

Francis  Atwater,  brother  of  Dorence 
Atwater,  who  was  given  the  privilege 
of  addressing  the  convention,  made  tlie 
following  appeal : 

Gentlemen — I  appear  before  you  to- 
day   to    ask   you    to    disapprove    of    the 


HON.  JOHN  G.  ROOT, 
On  Roll  of  Honor,  Conn.  G.  A.  R. 

action  of  your  subordinate  post,  Gil- 
bert W.  Thompson,  of  Bristol,  which, 
in  my  opinion,  passed  a  vote  uncalled 
for,  most  unjust,  and  reflecting  discredit 
upon  a  soldier  whose  forethought  pre- 
served to  this  nation  the  names  of  13,- 
000    soldier    dead,    and    onlv    for    whom 


122 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


their  graves  would  be  unidentified  and 
unmarked  in  the  great  national  ceme- 
tery at  Andersonville,  where  only  two 
months  ago,  it  was  my  pleasure  to  pass 
through,  noting  that  each  grave  was 
provided  a  substantial  headstone  and 
over  all  floated  the  stars  and  stripes  that 
their   lives   had   been    sacrificed    for. 

The  vote  of  the  Gilbert  Thompson 
post  I  refer  to  is  the  one  it  passed  ex- 
pressing its  disapproval  of  a  memorial 
erected  in  Terrj'ville,  this  state,  com- 
memorating the  patriotic  deed  and  hero- 
ism of  Dorence  Atwater,  who  kept  the 
death    list   at   Andersonville. 

For  more  than  a  score  of  j'ears  I 
have  sought  high  and  low  to  have  jus- 
tice done  to  my  brther.  I  first  asked 
the  aid  of  his  native  town  and  it  was 
freely  given.  Your  Legislature  nobly 
seconded  my  efforts.  I  appealed  to 
Merriam  post  and  was  enthusiastically 
supported.  Your  state  encampment  was 
prompt  to  sanction  the  relief  sought, 
and  through  its  influence  the  matter 
was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  na- 
tional encampment  which  passed  favor- 
able   resolutions    of    support. 

With  this  backing  I  asked  Congress 
to  restore  to  Dorence  Atwater  the  good 
name  that  he  deserved.  I  appeared  be- 
fore the  Military  committees  of  the 
Senate  and  House,  and  told  of  the  great 
work  he  accomplished  while  a  soldier, 
a  boy  in  his  teens;  of  his  confinement 
in  Andersonville  prison  for  twenty-two 
months ;  his  notifying  the  government, 
upon  his  arrival  home,  that  he  had 
copied  secretly  the  appalling  mortality 
list ;  of  the  request  of  Secretary  Stan- 
ton that  he  return  to  Washington  im- 
mediately, which  he  did,  although  still 
very  weak  from  starvation  and  sick- 
ness ;  of  the  arrangements  made  in  the 
war  department  to  copy  his  names ;  of 
his  honorable  discharge  as  a  volunteer 
and  re-enlistment  in  the  regular  army; 
of  his  trying  to  have  his  rolls  returned 
as  agreed,  so  that  they  could  be  pub- 
lished to  let  the  people  of  the  north 
know  where  their  kindred  were  buried ; 
of  his  offer  later  to  identify  the  graves 
at  Andersonville,  which  was  accepted ; 
his  going  there  with  joiners  and  let- 
terers  to  erect  headboards,  and  of  be- 
ing obliged  to  have  his  own  list  to 
work  with,  which  he  subsequently  kept, 
claiming  it  as  his  own  property;  of  his 
arrest,  imprisonment  in  the  old  capitol 
at  Washington ;  of  the  sitting  of  the 
court  martial  whose  verdict  was  that  he 


had  stolen  his  own  property;  of  his 
sentence  of  eighteen  months  at  hard 
labor  in  Auburn  state  prison ;  being 
fined  $300  and  to  stand  committed  until 
his  rolls  were  returned ;  of  his  being 
taken  from  Washington  to  Auburn,  N. 
Y.,  in  irons,  which  the  officer  in  charge 
ordered  made  damned  tight;  of  his  ac- 
tually serving  three  months  at  hard 
labor  until  General  Ben  Butler  appeared 
in  the  case  when  Secretary  Stanton  or- 
dered   his    discharge    immediately. 

It  was  simply  a  discharge  and  not  a 
pardon,  and  though  he  served  as  United 
States  consul  for  twenty-six  years  the 
peculiar  feature  is  that  his  sentence 
stood  against  him.  He  never  served  his 
time;  he  did  not  pay  the  $300;  nor  did 
he  ever  return  the  rolls. 

The  Military  committees  reported  fa- 
vorably and  both  houses  passed  the  res- 
olution that  set  aside  the  action  of  the 
court  martial  and  granted  him  an  hon- 
orable discharge.  I  may  add  upon  the 
authority  of  the  late  General  Hawley, 
it  was  the  first  and  only  verdict  of  a 
court  martial  set  aside  by  Congress. 

Now,  with  the  endorsement  of  the 
people  of  his  native  town,  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  the  United  States,  the  local 
Grand  Army  post,  the  state  and  national 
encampments,  it  passes  my  comprehen- 
sion what  motive  Gilbert  Thompson 
post  could  have  to  go  out  of  its  way 
to  slur  the  name  of  a  man  who  did  his 
country  only  good ;  though  penniless, 
refused  an  offer  of  $10,000  from  a  New 
York  Publishing  company  for  his  An- 
dersonville list,  and  replying  that  his 
object  in  keeping  the  record  was  simply 
to  let  the  friends  and  relatives  know 
where  their  loved  ones  could  be  found. 

I  may  add  further  that  the  memorial 
erected  was  paid  for  by  private  sub- 
scriptions from  friends  and  comrades 
who  believe  Dorence  Atwater  is  de- 
serving of  the  honor. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say  in  the  forty- 
one  years  that  have  passed,  my  brother 
has  suffered  in  silence  the  humiliation 
and  disgrace;  has  never  asked  anything 
of  the  government,  and  the  setting 
aside  of  the  court  martial  and  erecting 
the  memorial  has  been  without  his 
knowledge  or  consent. 

May  I  ask  you,  comrades,  in  the 
name  of  decency  and  justice,  to  disap- 
prove   Gilbert   Thompson   post's   action. 


A  committee  to  investigate  the  trouble 
was  appointed  but  was  later  discharged 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


123 


and  it  was  decided  to  let  the  matter 
stand  with  the  understanding  from  Gil- 
bert W.  Thompson  Post,  of  Bristol, 
through  its  commander,  that  the  post  is 
in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  monument 
to  Dorence  Atwater  at  Terryville  and 
fully  recognizes  his  unusually  creditable 
and  wonderful  war  record,  and  anv  dif- 


ALBERT  F.   HALL, 
Past  Com.  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

ference  of  its  members  as  to  the  project 
would  be   satisfactorily  adjusted. 

MR.     ATWATER's     service. 

Probably  every  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  will  recall  the 
history  of  Dorence  Atwater,  who  kept 
the  records  of  Andersonville  prison,  rie 
is  a  son  of  Henry  Atwater,  of  Ply- 
mouth, Conn.,  and  when  a  boy  was  a 
clerk  in  the  store  at  Terrv'ville.  Colo- 
nel A.  H.  Fenn,  in  writing  of  Mr.  At- 
water,' says  he  "has  better  claims  to 
enduring  remembrance  than  that  of  any 
other  person  from  the  town  of  Ply- 
mouth who  went  into  the  war."  The 
details  of  his  life  would  read  like  a  ro- 
mance. At  the  age  of  sixteen,  on  the 
outbreak  of  the  war,  he  enlisted  in  the 
first  squadron  of  Connecticut  Cavalry, 
afterwards  attached  to  the  Harris  Light 


Cavalry  of  New  York.  He  served  for 
nearly  his  full  term,  participating  in 
the  hard  campaigning  and  sharp  battles 
that  commanded  experience,  and  was 
finally  captured  and  taken  to  the  terri- 
ble Andersonville  prison  pen,  where  so 
many  brave  Connecticut  boys  met  their 
death.  He  was  an  excellent  penman 
and  for  this  or  some  other  reason  he  was 
detailed  there  for  work  in  the  surgeon's 
office  of  the  hospital  department,  where 
it  was  his  duty  to  keep  a  record  of  the 
dead,  their  regiments,  number  of  their 
graves,  etc.  While  doing  this  he  man- 
aged to  keep  an  extra  copy  of  the  rec- 
ord for  his  own  use,  and  this  he  brought 
awa}^  with  him  when  he  was  paroled, 
concealing  it  under  his  clothing.  Ar- 
riving at  his  home  in  Terryville,  wasted 
almost  to  a  skeleton  by  sickness,  induced 
by  army  exposure,  he  was  for  a  while 
dangerouslv  ill.     Meantime  the  war  de- 


WM.  H.  MAKVEY, 
Past  Com.  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

partment  heard  of  the  valuable  records 
and  summoned  him  to  Washington,  and 
purchased  a  right  to  copy  the  records, 
which  were  of  invaluable  service  to  the 
government  and  to  friends  of  soldiers 
in  determining  the  fate  of  many  miss- 
ing  men.     His   carefully  kept   list   con- 


124 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


tained  the  names  of  thirteen  thousand 
soldiers  dead.  His  rolls  were  copied 
according  to  agreement,  and  when  Miss 
Clara  Barton,  the  noble  friend  of  Union 
soldiers,  went  on  her  expedition  to  An- 
dersonville  after  the  war  to  identify 
and  properly  mark  the  -graves  of  the 
dead,  Atwater  was  detailed  for  service 
with  her,  and  his  records  were  placed 
in  her  possession  and  were  the  only  re- 
liable records  obtainable  for  identifica- 
tion of  the  graves.  The  details  of  Mr. 
Atwater's  subsequent  experiences  with 
the  war  department  show  the  most  cruel 
case  of  injustice  of  a  government  to- 
wards one  of  its  faithful  servants  of 
which  we  have  any  knowledge.  We 
will  not  enter  into  the  particulars  of 
the  experience  now.  He  was  made  to 
suffer  a  cruel   wrong. 

In  1868,  still  suffering  in  health  from 
his  hardships,  he  was  appointed  United 
States  Consul  to  the  Seychelles  Islands, 
in  the  Indian  Ocean.  Three  years  later 
he  was  transferred  to  the  United  States 
Consulate  at  Tahiti,  in  the  South  Pa- 
cific. He  was  a  faithful  and  valuable 
official  in  both  positions,  and  only  re- 
signed after  he  had  served  over  a  score 
of  years.  He  married  a  Tahitian  lady, 
and  by  this  marriage  is  allied  to  tlie 
royal  family.  Her  father  was  an  Eng- 
lish gentleman  for  many  years  in  bus- 
iness in  Tahiti.  Mr.  Atwater  still 
makes  it  his  home  in  the  South  Pacific, 
coming  to  San  Francisco  once  or  twice 
a  year. 

DELEGATES    TO   ENCAMPMENT. 

The  representatives  to  the  encamp- 
ment are  as  follows : 

SEDGWICK     POST — NORWICH. 

Vine  S.  Settson,  Edward  Caryl,  A.  A. 
Walker,  S.  S.  Stocking.  J.  A.  Caryl, 
James  Moffit  Chauncey  H.  Fields  Chas. 
Burke,  Henry  Wright,  S.  L.  Peck,  James 
J.  McCord,  Bela  P.  Learned,  Samuel  R. 
Knapp,  Wm.  A.  Thompson,  George  S. 
Smith,  Amos  D.  Allen,  Willis  W. 
Clarke,  John  M.  Brewer,  J.  H.  George, 
F.  W.  Faulkner,  Wm.  H.  Palmer,  Jr., 
George  Kampf,  Geo.  Greenman,  Henry 
Merriman,  Edson  S.  Bishop,  James 
Harvey,  Wm.  A.  Aiken,  N.  L.  Bishop. 

NATHANIEL    LYON    POST — HARTFORD. 

Herschel  C.  Young,  Henry  Heise, 
Thomas  Killian,  George  T.  Parish,  Ho- 
bart  W.  Deming,  DeWitt  C.  Graves, 
John   W.   Drew,   George  Jones,   Eugene 


D.  Ames,  P.  J.  Callahan,  Robert  Pyne, 
Charles  Jackson. 

ELIAS     HOWE,     JR.,     POST — BRIDGEPORT. 

Henry  J.  Seeley,  Edgar  Dean,  El- 
bert L.  Ruggles  Frank  Miller,  S.  C. 
Dickinson,  A.  S.  Bodine,  W.  H.  Weicht, 
Almon  H.  French,  C  W.  Scarritt,  Henry 
A.  Hurd,  C.  E.  D.  Patterson,  A.  B. 
Beers,  R.  S.  Beers,  Wm.  E.  Disbrow, 
Wm.  H.  Lvon,  Thomas  Boudren,  G. 
L.  Stewart, 'John  R.  Hull,  T.  L.  Bar- 
tholomew, Samuel  J.  Chaflfee,  James  H. 
Smith,  William  R.  Palmer,  Russell 
Glenn,  Jas.  Wheeler,  George  D.  Phillips, 
Richard  Fitzgibbons,  Walter  P.  Bryan, 
John  W.  Thompson,  W.  W.  Porter,  A. 
S.  Hunt,  A.  F.  P"argo,  Chas.  E.  Moore. 

DRAKE    POST — SOUTH    MANCHESTER. 

M  H.  Keeney,  E.  M.  Burdick,  T.  H. 
Blish,  H.  W.  Hastings,  M.  S.  Chap- 
man, Wm.  Ferguson,  F.  A.  Perry,  Geo. 
Schildge,  W.  W.  Gammons,  H.  W.  Bar- 
rows,   Wm.    Naylor.    John    Loomis. 

EDWARD    A.     DOOLITTLE    POST — CHESHIRE. 

Eri  D.  Woodbury,  Wm.  H.  Doolittle, 
Geo.  F.  Tyler,  Henry  S.  Allen,  Geo. 
Keeler,  F.  A.  Hotchkiss,  E.  A.  Atwater, 
A.  E.  Smith,  Geo.  N.  Griffin,  C.  S. 
Spaulding,  H.  A.  Brooks,  Geo.  E. 
Tucker. 

MASON    ROGERS    POST — BRANFORD. 

Chas.  H.  Frisbie,  Oscar  M.  Weed,  E. 
M.  Thayer,  Joseph  Lee,  George  W. 
Beach,  J.  Edwin  Towner,  N.  R.  Ter- 
hune,  E.  C.  Johnson,  A.  B.  Barker, 
J.  A.  Linslev,  E.  C.  Johnson,  H.  W. 
Hubbard.  S.  G.  Cook,  E.  J.  Bird,  E.  D. 
Sheldon,  G.  Bush. 

MERRIAM     POST — MERIDEN. 

James  R.  Sloane,  James  B.  Tracy, 
George  B.  Lawton,  Albert  L.  Bartlett, 
George  S.  Wilcox,  M.  B.  Schenck,  John 
S.  Lane,  Ansel  J.  Doolittle,  Frank  J. 
Carter,  Isaac  B.  Hyatt,  Wm.  G.  Galla- 
ger,  Fred  A.  Higby,  Wilbur  F.  Rogers, 
Constans  C.  Kinne,  Julius  Augur,  x^l- 
bert  F.  Hall,  H.  L.  B.  Pond,  Chas.  S. 
Kelsey,  Jacob  McCall,  C.  A.  Brecken- 
ridge,  Byron  C.  Harvey,  Frank  Han- 
cock, Hector  C.  Haydn,  Albert  A.  May, 
Thos.  A.  Benham,  Eugene  A.  Blake, 
Emerson  O.  Puffer,  William  H.  Har- 
vey, Timothy  E.  Hawley. 

MORTON     A.     TAINTOR     POST — COLCHESTER. 

Joseph  A.  Gardner,  Charles  Clark, 
John    H.    Huntley,    Levi    M.    Chapman, 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


125 


John    C.    Ladd,   George    Brown,   Joseph 
H.  Talbert. 

STANLEY    POST — NEW    BRITAIN. 

Ezra  Sprague,  Wm.  F.  Sternberg, 
Julius  O.  Deming,  Homer  F.  Damon, 
A.  G.  Henderson,  Fred  C.  Scharff, 
Henry  L.  Porter,  Wm.  McNary,  Ed- 
ward Yates,  Ira  E.  Hicks,  Charles  H. 
Beaton,  Wm.  H.  Gladden,  Patrick 
Marr,    Francis     H.     Smith,     George    H. 


C.  C.  KINNE, 
Past  Com.  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

Beckett,  C.  B.  Erichson,  Alexander 
Fades,  Huber  Bushnell,  Edward  A.  Al- 
press,  Loren  D.  Penfield,  Abram  How- 
ell>  Wm.  H.  Relyea,  Richard  Cassady, 
Wm.  E.  Latham,  Chas.  E.  Kempshall, 
William  W.  Pinks,  Addison  G.  McKee, 
Wm.  E.   Stewart,  Gilbert  J.  Bentley. 

BUCKINGHAM      POST — NORWALK. 

F.  S.  Middlebrook,  Chas.  W.  Bennett, 
Richard  J.  Cutbill,  David  E.  Godfrey, 
Edwin  H.  Baldwin,  John  E.  Howard, 
Wesley   M.   Niblock,  James  L.   Lyon. 

GILBERT     W.     THOMPSON     POST — BRISTOL. 

Geo.  T.  Cook,  Geo.  H.  Bates,  Aaron 
C.  Dresser,  Harrison  S.  Judd,  Clarence 
H.  Muzzy,  Franklin  Ball.  Wm.  Hub- 
bell,  Z.  Fuller  Grannis,  W.  H.  Hutch- 
inson. Captin  T.  B.  Robinson,  Geo. 
Merriman,  W.  C.  Hillard.  Herman  W. 
Weeks,    Captain    Ira    B.    Smith,    A.    C. 


Loomis,  Irving  W.  Tyler,  John  Wal- 
ton, B.  S.  Keith.  F.  W.  Perry,  Wm..A. 
Ambler,  Geo.  W.  Raymond,  Chas.  F. 
Loomis,  G.  I.  Buxton.  A.  A.  Hauschild, 
J.  P.  Grossman,  William  A.  Kellogg, 
Thomas  Bradley,  Alonzo  Wheeler,  John 
Henry,  Aaron  Decker,  James  E. 
Wixon,  Fletcher  Pierce,  John  F.  Love- 
joy,  Jarvis  Kellogg,  Edward  E.  Pelton, 
M.  W.  Robinson,  Bradley  B.  Baker, 
Edward  M.  Lees,  Chas.  H  .Olmstead, 
Peter  R.   Foot. 

UPTON    POST — NEW    MILFORD. 

Joseph  C.  Wiley,  J.  F.  Williams 
J.  Titus,  Peter  Peterson,  David  E. 
Soule,  N.  H.  Root,  Henry  Kinney,  Dan- 
iel, G.  Marshall,  S.  R.  Hill,  L.  W. 
:\Iosher,  G.  W.  Anthonv.  C.  A.  Way, 
M.  A.  Strong,  W.  H.  Dougal,  David 
W.  Konwles,  W.  W.  Whitlock,  Rev. 
Henry  Upson. 


JAMES  B.  TRACY, 
Sen.  Vice  Com.  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

TRUMBULL     POST — SOUTHINGTON. 

Chas.  H.  Johnson,  Chas.  H.  Clark, 
A.  J.  Brotherton,  Levi  Andrews,  Geo. 
W.  Edwards.  Stephen  Walklev,  Chas. 
A.  Keyes,  Wm.  L.  Ames.  S.  E.  Whit- 
ing, Thos.  C.  Hancock,  Thos.  Walker, 
Dwight   W.    Clark,   James   V.   Johnson, 


126 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


William  S.  Ward,  W.  F.  Toelles,  J. 
A.  Brooks,  Robert  Smith,  Enoch  Nich- 
ols,  G.  A.   Ely. 

ADMIRAL     POST — NEW     HAVEN. 

Thos.  E.  Benedict,  Geo.  G.  Reynolds, 
Geo.  W.  Dadmun,  Virgil  F.  McNeil,  A. 
C.  Hendrick,  N.  Easterbrook,  T.  E. 
Worthington,  Fred  G.  Hastings,  Geo. 
A.  Tucker,  James  A.  Church,  Hy.  A. 
Peck,  Lawrence  O'Brien,  William  H. 
Nichols,  Geo.  A.  Barrett,  N.  T.  Bur- 
lingame,  Wm.  H.  Warren,  John  N. 
Leonard,  Wm  H.  Huntley,  Henry  T. 
Mix,  Wm.  E.  Whittelsey,  David  Ask- 
ley,  T.  P.  Dickinson,  Wm.  L.  Benton, 
Wallace  Hurlburt,  Nathan  B.  Hoyt, 
Frank  D.  Sloat,  Wm.  H.  Pierpont,  Rob- 
ert R.  Russell,  David  C.  Monson,  Wil- 
bur F.  Gray,  Wm.  F.  Smith,  David  R. 
Adams.  Fred  H.  Waldron,  Henry  F. 
Peck,  David  W.  Sharpe,  Simeon  J.  Fox, 
James  N.  Coe,  Lewis  B.  Brown,  Edw. 
E.  Tisdale,  Wm.  E.  Morgan,  Edward 
Coe,  Theron  R.  Hull,  Jason  D.  Thomp- 
son, Chas.  B.  Foster,  L.  O.  Lombard, 
Edwin  C.  Dow,  Chas.  Rawling,  M.  D., 
Fred  S.  Snow,  Edward  E.  Sill,  W.  S. 
Isbell,  David  B.  Horton,  John  M. 
Crowe,  Andrew  H.  Embler,  Lynde 
Harrison,  Joel  C.  Page,  Chas.  F.  Mar- 
vin, J.  T.  Hutchinson,  M.  D.,  J.  H. 
Bilson,    Jesse    H.    Rice,    James    Fenton. 

JAS.    E.     MOORE    AND    NELSON    WHITE    POST 
DANBURY. 

John  W.  Landegon,  Albert  A.  Scott, 
Chas.  H.  White,  David  H.  Miller,  W. 
H.  Hitchcock,  Christian  Quein,  Mar- 
cus Comstock,  Joel  G.  Foster,  N.  Bur- 
ton Rogers,  Ira  R.  Wildman,  P.  C. 
Lounsbury,  Hiram  Davis,  Charles  F. 
Brown,  Wm.  E.  Craig.  James  S.  Mc- 
CuUom.  L.  Beach  Clark,  Chas.  F.  Mc- 
Han,  Thos.  McCorkle,  Chas.  H.  Hovt, 
Lewis  Carley,  Walter  M.  Phillips,  Wm. 
A.  Cougle,  Charles  Bailey,  Svdna  A. 
Smith,  Willis  J.  INLnllorv,  Edwin  R. 
Gilbert. 

HOBBIE     POST — STAMFORD. 

George  O.  Bliss,  Elias  E.  Palmer, 
Lewis  W.  Scofield,  James  Halpin,  Wil- 
liam H.  Crabb,  John  L.  Jessup,  Bannis- 
ter H.  Jones,  George  W.  Toms,  Geo. 
M.  Sinclair,  Charles  J.  Brown.  William 
S.  Taylor,  Geo.  W.  Olmstead.  Elah 
Ballard,  Edw.  A.  Williams.  Matthias  J. 
Barron,  George  W.  Fowler,  John  H. 
Brown,  William  H.  Banks,  John  Bir- 
mingham. 


LOMB.\RD    POST — GREENWICH. 

Silas  E.  Mead,  Wm.  H.  Bailey,  Si- 
mon J.  Davis,  E.  S.  Peck,  Benjamin 
Wright,  Isaac  S.  Mead,  Joshua  Lyon, 
Thomas  A.  Haight,  N .  L.  Husted, 
Thomas  P.  Hunt. 

MATHER    POST DEEP    RIVER. 

Harry  Epright,  Willoughby  A.  Hull, 
Charles  Silliman,  J.  W.  Bailey,  Daniel 
M.  Damon,  George  B.  French,  Joseph 
S.    Lynde,   John    Hanscom. 

KELLOGG     POST — DERBY. 

S.  O.  Dwinell,  Henry  Spencer,  J.  A 
Conklin,  James  Ewen,  Dennis  Crowe, 
J.  A.  Conklin,  F.  W.  Curtiss,  David 
Torrance,  W.  H.  Ford,  S.  E.  Chaffee, 
S.  G.  Blakeman,  Andrew  Dean,  Sam- 
uel Miller,  George  H.  Crook,  C.  M. 
Scranton,  C.  E.  Hawkhurst,  A.  W.  Phil- 
lips, E.  W.  Peck,  D.  F.  Lynch,  Edward 
Davis,  D  W  Hager,  Thomas  J.  Chad- 
eayne,   Chris.   Dolan,   James  Forbes,   C. 

E.  Huntington,    Charles    Rowell. 

m'gREGOR     POST — DANIELSON. 

Charles  A.  Potter,  William  N.  Ar- 
nold, William  C.  Sherman,  Vine  R. 
Franklin,    Benjamin    E.    Rapp,    Henry 

F.  Clark.   S.    M.   Woodward,   Theodore 
D.  Pond. 

FRANCIS     S.     LONG     POST — WILLIMANTIC. 

Earl  S.  Cranston,  John  J.  Brierly, 
William  H.  Buckingham,  William  F. 
Gates,  Charles  Clark,  Charles  H.  Cole- 
grove,  Samuel  Miller,  Benajah  E. 
Smith,  Elisha  C.  Boden,  J.  Dwight 
Willis,  Thomas  Handley,  George  A. 
Murdock,  Jerome  B.  Baldwin,  Arthur 
P.  Benner,  Frank  S.  Shaffer,  Andrew 
W.  Loomis,  Charles  Fenton,  Luke 
Flynn,  William  C.  Lyman,  Thomas  Ash- 
ton.  William  C.  Rarbison,  Rainsford  P. 
Williams,  John  Bolles,  Henry  F.  Royce, 
James  Haggerty. 

PALMER    POST — WINSTED. 
t 

Samuel  U.  Brewer,  A.  J.  Miller, 
James  Baker,  William  A.  Currie,  Al- 
bert Dugal,  Samuel  B.  Home,  Chas. 
L.  Hewitt,  Georgt  L.  Andrews,  B.  F. 
Marsh,  S.  V.  Beckwith.  George  M.  Van 
Ostrem,  Geo.  C.  Hagar,  R.  C.  Kemp, 
John  F.  Simmons,  H.  B.  Morse,  John 
N.  Lyman,  William  Schultz,  E.  S. 
Beccher. 

L.      M.     STEELE     POST — TORRINGTON. 

William  W.  Davis.  Thomas  J.  Hub- 
bard, Frederick  O.  Hills,  E.  T.  Mil- 
ler, William  H.  McCarthy,  F.  G.  Alldis, 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


127 


C.    H.    Lockwood,    William    Spittle,    E. 
L.    Steele,  A.   Gray,  A.   Wilman. 

ARTHUR     H.     BUTTON     POST — WALLINGFORD. 

John  Upham,  W.  H.  Rawson,  Chas. 
E.  Smith,  Arthur  L.  Post,  William  F. 
Lane,  William  N.  Mix,  C.  A.  Harrison, 
L.  A.  Northrop,  John  S  Parker,  M.  W. 
Tuttle,  Silas  L.  Hall,  David  Ross,  Ja- 
cob Joab,  P.  M.  Twitchell,  E.  L.  Weld. 


WILBUR  W.  HART, 
Officer  of  Day,  Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R. 

GEORGE    VAN    HORN    POST — MILFORD. 

Albert  A.  Porter,  Joseph  R.  Clark. 
Charles  W.  Baldwin,  Joel  C.  Smith,  C. 
O.  Isbell,  Edwin  B.  Baldwin,  E.  Van 
Horn,  Wallace  S.  Chase,  George  W. 
Coy,  Albert  C.  Tibbals,  Nelson  L. 
Stowe,  Henrv  E.  Tucker,  Roger  S. 
Baldwin,  Frederick  Cornwall,  Willis  S. 
Oviatt,    Caleb    Smith. 

UPSON   POST — SEYMOUR. 

Wilbur  W.  Smith,  W.  S.  Cooper, 
Henry  Duester,  Rufus  J.  Spencer, 
James  E.  Buckley.  John  H.  Riggs,  Rob- 
ert Healey,  H.  S.  Chamberlain.  John 
W.  DeForest,  Zera  B.  Davis,  Herbert 
C.    Baldwin,    George   L.    Bartlett. 

PARMELEE    POST GUILFORD. 

Samuel  J.  Griswold.  Hart  Landon. 
William  F.  Isbell.  A.  W.   Morse,  Chas. 


Griswold,  L.  O.  Chittenden,  A.  G.  Som- 
mer,  J.  W.  Oughton,  E.  R.  Davis,  Fran- 
cis Beattie,  Alexander  E.  Ingraham, 
William   H.   Lee. 

ISBELL     POST — NAUGATUCK. 

Chas.  C.  Chipman,  Michael  Cronan, 
William  Moyer,  Josiah  Coleman,  Amos 
Werts,  Michael  P.  Coen,  Horace  E. 
Jones,  T.  J.  Northrop,  F.  S.  Nichols, 
N.  S  .Wilmot,  Miner  S.  Baldwin,  R. 
\V.  Lewis,  Seth  D.  Bingham,  D.  D. 
Gibbud,   John    Noble. 

WINSTED    POST — STAFFORD    SPRINGS. 

Anthony  Adams,  A.  H.  Simonds,  A. 
L.  Howard,  John  S.  Arnold,  John  Mc- 
Carthy, Reuben  J.  Burley,  G.  B.  Marble, 
A.    N.   Nichols. 


WILLIAM   F.   HILTON, 
Department   Chaplain   G.  A.   R. 

BYRON    D.    SMITH    POST — ^VOLUNTOWN. 

William  A.  Weeks,  Joseph  O.  Cross, 
Alfred  A.  Davis,  Dexter  A.  Johnson, 
Jared  A  Gallup,  William  A.  Wicks, 
Orin  S.  Rix,  Simon  Brown,  Joseph  E. 
Bacon,  George  H.  Lamphier,  Asel 
Youngs. 

CUSTER    POST — SANDY    HOOK. 

Ephraim  D.  Briscoe,  Charles  E.  Haw- 
ley,   Edward  Toy,  Charles   M.   Parsons, 


128 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Henry  B.  Coger,  William  B.  Sniffen, 
Albert  W.  Peck. 

W.   W.    PERKINS  POST — NEW   LONDON. 

John  S.  Noland,  Lafayette  W.  Starr, 
S.  G.  Jerome,  Englebert  J.  Santer,  Jas. 
M.  Carrol,  Charles  H.  Niles,  George 
Havens,  John  C.  Bliss,  John  C.  Nich- 
olds,    H.   B.    Smith.    C.    M.    Monroe,   B. 

F.  Gates,.  E.  N.  Crocker,  Fred  Gallup, 
J.  M.  Bacon,  W.  S.  Davies,  Francis 
Bracken. 

DOUGLAS     FOWLER     POST — SO.     NORWALK. 

Charles  F.  Hallock,  James  L"Hom- 
medieu,  John  W.  Craw.  James  L.  Rus- 
sell, Oscar  St.  John.  Frederick  Keating, 
C.  Wood,  Samuel  Mott,  H.  E.  Wing, 
James  W.  Davis,  Hiram  F.  Brundage, 
William  A.  Hendricks,  Thomas  Mc- 
Quillan, Stephen  R.  Wilcox,  H.  D. 
Perry. 

WADH.A.MS     POST — WATERBURY. 

George  Robbins,  Levi  H.  Toucey, 
Andrew  Winter,  Edgar  W.  Calhoun, 
John  Higgins.  Homer  F.  Northrop, 
Charles  J.  Bromberg,  Harrison  Whit- 
ney, Oscar  W.  Cornish,  John  M.  Galla- 
gher, George  L.  Piatt,  John  S.  Hayes, 
William  E.  Quigley,  E.  A.  Pendleton, 
John  S.  Stevens,  Chauncey  Seeley, 
William  Melton  Imri  A.  Spencer,  John 
T.  Egan,  Frederick  Korngiebel,  Mi- 
chael Kavanaugh. 

ROBERT    O.     TYLER    POST — HARTFORD. 

Edmund  D.  Riley,  W.  H.  Shaffer, 
Henry  C.  Storrs,  Francis  B.  Allen,  Nor- 
man L.  Hope,  Charles  W.  Emerson, 
Fred  H.  Williams,  E.  H.  Lane,  W.  E. 
Cone,  C.  H.  Hills,  William  Huntington, 
Charles  J.  Fuller,  Franklin  Dart,  John 
H.    Thacher,    Charles    W.    Clark,    John 

G.  Root,  John  N.  Wilsey,  Henry  F. 
Hart,  Adrian  P.  Sloan,  Sidney  M.  Glad- 
win, John  S.  Stannard,  John  W.  Long- 
don,  Francis  A.  Cummings.  Horace  P. 
Fo.x,  Henry  E.  Babcock,  C.  W.  Driscoll, 
Julius  Weed,  Henry  W.  Burrill,  George 
R.  Bodge,  H.  C.  Dwight,  James  B.  Mc- 
Namar,  Lewis  W.   Smith. 

HENRY     C.      MERWIN     POST — NEW     HAVEN. 

Philip  Ryan,  Thomas  Murley  Timo- 
try  Rafter,  Philip  Ryan.  James  F.  Bran- 
nagan,  John  Garrity,  William  Gleason, 
John   J.    Brennan. 

MANSFIELD     POST — MIDDLETOWN. 

Curtis  C.  Atwell,  Joseph  J.  Noxon, 
Frederick  M  .Sizer,  Charles  A.  Pelton, 
Michael  Lucey,  William  J.  Chadsey.  A. 
B.   Robinson,   George   Washington,   Ed- 


win Bywater,  F.  D.  Brewster,  James 
H.  Osborn,  Michael  S.  Dunn,  Henry  R. 
Young,  Thomas  M.  Durfee,  H.  Oscar 
Shailer,  Albert  O.  Reed,  George  Har- 
rison, Alex  G.  Bethel,  Theodore  A. 
Sage,  Levi  Jewett,  John  C.  Fisher,  A. 
J.  Mallory,  Delmar  R.  Lowell,  Charles 
A.  Appel. 

A.    G.    WARNER    POST — PUTNAM. 

C.  i\L  Green,  Joseph  McKachnie, 
Horace  H.  Pierce,  Oscar  Tourtelotte, 
George  L.  Prentice,  James  Miller,  C. 
W.  Grosvenor,  A.  A.  Buchanan,  Henry 
W.  Johnson,  Samuel  K.  Spalding,  Jo- 
seph E.  Rawson,  Chauncey  Morse,  G. 
D.  Bates,  G.  A.  Hammond,  Caleb  Blan- 
chard,  Newton  S.  Phillips,  H.  T. 
Stearns. 

WILLI.\MS     POST MYSTIC. 

George  W.  Keigwin,  Nelson  Mozyer, 
F.  B.  Mayo,  J.  G.  Packer,  R.  J.  Wil- 
bur, J.  K.  Bucklyn,  P  A.  Irons,  J.  W. 
Poole,  Horace  Clift,  R.  S.  Watrous, 
Charles    Bennett. 

SAMUEL      BROWN       POST — THOMPSONVILLE. 

Jabez  P.  Davis,  N.  S.  Cole,  William 
A.  Raymond,  R.  E.  Abbe,  C.  M.  Pom- 
eroy,  Lyman  A.  LIpson,  Jonathan  Mil- 
ler, Andrew  Gordon,  T.  M.  Benton,  N. 
P.  Palmer,  F.  E.  Hastings.  John  Mc- 
Cready,  Abraham  Cope,  Hiram  Old- 
royd,  C.  F.  Tilden,  George  C.  Howe. 

NEWTON     S.     MANROSS     POST — FORESTVILLE. 

M.  H.  Tvler,  J.  F.  Douglass,  Henry 
W.  Buvs,  "Henrv  W.  Porter,  H.  P. 
Woodard,  R.  A.  Potter,  Henry  Fry,  M. 
H.  Barnard,  George  W.  Atkins,  John 
W.  Gray,  Abel  Griswold,  E.  C.  Wil- 
liams, John  Talmage.  Martin  W.  Fris- 
bie.  John  J.  Lloyd,  M.  A.  Potter,  S.  M. 
Shelton,    William    E.    Bunnell. 

0.      H.     KNIGHT     POST — LAKEVILLE. 

J.  J.  Traver,  George  Frink,  C.  H. 
Ball,  W.  B.  Peabody,  W.  C.  Lemley, 
Thomas  L.  Norton,  H.  L.  Avres,  C.  A. 
Hollister,  P.  Turner.  H.  H.  'Mason,  E. 
F.  San  ford,  George  Cook,  George  Frink, 
M.  H.  Sackett,  Moses  Lyman. 

JOHN     M.     GREGORY     POST — SHARON. 

Charles  C.  Dean,  L  Butler,  A.  C. 
Slover,  Charles  H.  Cadwell,  A.  C.  An- 
drews, William  Connor.  W.  W.  Knight, 
L.   Van  Alstyne,   G.   W.   Studley. 

D.     S.    COWLES    POST — CANAAN. 

Milton  J.  Kilmer,  James  E.  Green, 
James  Reel,  Wm.  R.  Weddle.  George 
W.  Schovell,  Albert  P.  Briggs,  Ed- 
ward    S.    Roberts,    H.    Schermerhorn, 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


129 


Milton  J.  Kilmer,  George  L.  Parsons, 
T.  L.  Sackett,  H.  P.  Morse,  E.  D. 
Norton. 

SAMUEL     p.     FERRIS     POST — NEW     CANAAN. 

Israel  Wood,  Andrew  F  Jones, 
Loomis  Scofield,  William  A.  Havi- 
land,  Norbert  Bossa,  Francis  E. 
Weed,  Dewitt  C.  Ruscoe,  Isaac  A.  Lee, 


WM.  A.   KING, 

Attorney    General    State    of    Conn. 

Charles  L.  Barton,  John  T.  Fancher. 
Charles  Veitenheimer,  Wm.  I.  Brant, 
Charles  W.  Hall,  Frederick  Bauzhof, 
John   W.   Bell,   C.    H.   Demeritt. 

A.      E.      BURNSIDE      POST — UXIOXVILLE. 

A.  J.  Brewer,  George  S.  Booth,  John 
Scantlin,  S.  N.  Wadsworth,  R.  H.  Rust, 
J.  T.  Ball,  Charles  Brandegee,  J.  W. 
Curtiss,  James  R.  Jenkins,  T.  B. 
Brooks. 

HARRY     m'dONOUGH     POST — WESTPORT. 

(Charter  surrendered  January  I,  1905.) 

D.    C.    RODMAN    POST — EAST    HARTFORD. 

Elias  Dickenson,  Henry  A.  Bradley, 
John  F.  Arnold,  Francis  H.  Graham, 
John  F.  Whaples,  L.  Cotton,  A.  G. 
Olmsted,  E.  J.  Carroll,  D.  C  Clark,  C. 
M.  Hills,  George  A.  Starks,  C.  A.  Les- 
ter, Charles  A.  Rhodes,  W.  H.  Brewer, 

9 


Josiah    H.    Smith,   J.    F.   Arnold,   Elihu 
Olmsted,   C.    S.   Roberts,   George   Teed. 

JOHN    M.    MORRIS    POST — WETHERSFIELD. 

Frederick  W.  Smith,  Wm.  B.  De- 
Bloise,  H.  J.  Mildrum,  H.  A.  Tyler,  E. 
G.  Woodhouse,  Thomas  N.  Hammer, 
Stephen  Morgan,  George  W.  Adams, 
W.  J.  Stevenson,  Henry  J.  Lankton,  Al- 
len W.  Hale,  F.  W.  Smith,  Eugene  F. 
Atwood. 

J.      H.      CONVERSE     POST — WINDSOR     LOCKS. 

Wm.  E.  Brown,  George  Glover,  John 
Young,  Charles  A.  Porter,  Jeremiah 
Lynch,  A.  W.  Converse,  Henry  M. 
Adams,   Eleazer   Cook. 

C.     L.     RUSSELL    POST — THOMASTON. 

John  N.  Watrous,  Wm.  H.  Alford, 
Marshall  Grilley,  Robert  G.  Hassard, 
Charles  E.  Morse,  John  J.  Fischer,  Jul- 
ian F.  Watrous,  Henry  Ploucquet,  Da- 
vid A.  Bradlev. 


JAMES  R.  SLOANE, 
Com.    Merriam    Post,    G.   A.   R. 

BURPEE     POST ROCKVILLE. 

E.  F.  Loveland,  Anthony  Stevens, 
William  Mann,  Willard  Griswold,  A.  B. 
Parker,  L.  D.  Phelps,  Thomas  S.  Pratt, 
Charles  W.  Wood,  James  Baxter, 
H.    H.    Doyle,   John    Hirst,    D.    F.    An- 


I30 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN, 


drews,  B.  L.  Burr,  S.  K.  Ellis,  W.  D. 
Emerson,  A.  Park  Hammond,  Wm.  H. 
Loomis,  T.  A.  Lake,  Charles  W.  Marsh, 
Julius  H.  Newell,  Wm.  J.  Noad,  John 
A.   Ogden. 

CHAPMAN     POST — WESTBROOK. 

D.  W.  Grosvenor,  Charles  McVee, 
Zadoc  E.  Morgan,  S.  Leander  Stev- 
ens, Carlos  H.  Chapman,  H.  D.  Red- 
field,   Geo.   Kirtland,   Wm.   G.   Bushnell. 

T.     M.     REDSHAW     POST — ANSONIA. 

A.  P.  Kirkham,  Charles  S  Totten, 
George  B.  Bissbee,  J.  H.  Olin,  E.  O. 
Hill,  B.  A.  Cramer,  Charles  French, 
George  W  .Goodall,  S.  M.  Blair,  Chas. 
H.  Hayes,  H.  M.  Brown,  Wm.  E.  Cur- 
tiss,  George  Lj-on,  C.  R.  Buckingham, 
J.  D.  Hotchkiss,  John  E  Reamer,  Clark 
H.  Davis. 

GEN.    VON    STEINWEHR   POST — NEW    HAVEN. 

Chris.  Rothhaar,  Fred.  Brill,  Fred. 
Ruden,  John  Aarens,  L  Oppertshauser, 
Charles  Staude,  John  Schenk,  H  Hoff- 
meister. 

JAS.  B.   KILBOURNE  POST — CENTRAL  VILLAGE 

J.  P.  Pellett,  Wm.  Dean,  Wm.  Sim- 
mons. 

EDWIN    R.    LEE    POST — NEW    HARTFORD. 

Weston  Barnes,  Martin  Wilcox, 
Charles  Wilson,  Oliver  J.  Tuttle,  Henry 
R.  Jones,  Jacob  Weidmer,  J.  Nelson 
Brown,  William  Case,  J.  Jay  Cushman, 
Grove  Fanning,  Anson  W.  Bristol,  Jo- 
siah    Woodbury,    J.    Manchester. 

T.     G.     BROWN     POST — CHAPLIN. 

Harvey  Whitmore,  Charles  Henry, 
John    A.    Lawton,    Darwin    Bead,    Eber 


Harris,  Albert  L.  Church,  Wm.  Dor- 
rance,  Darwin  Tracy,  E.  M.  Russell, 
David  S.  Weaver,  P.  S.  Richards,  H. 
H.  Converse,  T.  L.  Neff,  Thomas  W. 
Hewlings. 

SETH     F.     PLUMB    POST — LITCHFIELD. 

S.  A.  Whittlesey,  Patrick  Herbert, 
George  W.  Mason,  Anson  W.  Healey, 
S.  M.  Griswold,  A.  B.  Shumway,  L.  D. 
Leonard,  John  Q.  Ames,  Charles  Merri- 
man,  Wm.  H.  Plumb,  C.  W  Hinsdale, 
George  W  Newcomb,  D.  C.  Kilbourn, 
Edgar  A.  Alvord,  H.  R.  Stockbridge. 

HANCOCK    POST — WESTERLY,    R.     I. 

Walter  Price,  Wm.  F.  Hawkins, 
Amos  P.  Chapman,  A.  N.  Crandall, 
Abel  Babcock,  Judson  N.  Crandall, 
Charles  H.  Holdredge,  Frank  E.  Rich, 
Joshua  M.  Clark,  Wm.  H.  Burdick,  F. 
T.   Brightman,   Nathan  W.   Lewis. 

J.     F.     TRUMBULL     POST — STONINGTON. 

Charles  T.  Stanton,  Orson  C.  Rogers, 
Charles  O.  Browning,  E.  H.  Sheffield, 
B.  Frank  Tracy,  Jerome  S.  Anderson, 
Charles   Holts,   George  E.   Brayton. 

H.     W.     KINGSBURY     POST — OLD     LYME. 

(Charter  surrendered  January  i,  1905.) 

WM.     T.     MINOR    POST — STAMFORD. 

Stephen  Smith,  Alfred  C.  Arnold, 
Alex  G.  Gourley,  Robert  Kerr,  Robert, 
Bunten,  William  H.  Pitch,  E.  B.  Law- 
rence, Samuel  A.  Wood,  Charles  E. 
Seeley,  George  V.  Wood,  Samuel  M. 
Bouton,  Samuel  Fessenden,  George  B. 
Christison,  Solomon  Close,  S.  L.  Sco- 
field,    Henry   Huss. 


SKETCH   OF   GRAND   ARMY. 


The  history  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  is  one  of  inspiring  inter- 
est. The  details  concerning  its  incep- 
tion, few  in  number,  disclose  with  elo- 
quence and  force  the  comradeship  that 
united  the  Union  armies  through  the 
Civil  war.  The  first  steps  toward  or- 
ganizing the  veterans  throughout  the 
country  in  a  common  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  were  taken  at  Springfield, 
111.,  in  March,  1866.  Surgeon  B.  F. 
Stephenson  and  Chaplain  W.  J.  Rut- 
ledge,  of  the  Fourteenth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, originators  of  the  Grand  Army 
idea,  conferred  with  a  few  comrades  in 


Springfield  concerning  the  adoption  of 
plans.  The  first  post  in  the  United 
States  was  organized  at  Decatur,  111., 
April  6,  1866,  Surgeon  Stephenson  mus- 
tering in  the  members  and  granting  a 
charter.  The  first  department  en- 
campment was  held  in  Springfield,  July 
12,  1866  and  the  first  national  encamp- 
ment was  held  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  in 
November  of  that  year.  Surgeon 
Stephenson  acted  as  provisional  com- 
mander. At  this  first  national  en- 
campment S.  A.  Hurlbut  was  elected 
commander-in-chief.  The  second  na- 
tional encampment  was  held  in  Phil- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


131 


adelphia,  January  15,  1868.  At  this  en- 
campment, which  marked  the  crucial 
period  in  the  history  of  the  Grand 
Army,  General  John  A.  Logan  was 
elected  national  commander  and  Gen- 
eral Joseph  R.  Hawley,  junior  vice 
commander.  The  selection  of  Gener- 
als Logan  and  Hawley  for  these  posi- 
tions placed  the  Grand  Army  on  a 
solid  footing  and  ensured  the  magnifi- 
cent success  that  has  attended  its  ca- 
reer. In  addition  to  General  Hawley, 
who  died  March  18,  1905,  Connecticut 
has  had  three  junior  vice  commanders- 
in-chief,  Charles  I.  Buckbee,  of  New 
Haven,  who  died  November  5,  1896, 
Ira  E.  Hicks,  of  New  Britain,  and 
Francis  B.  Allen,  of  Hartford. 

CONN.    DEPARTMENT    ORGANIZED. 

The  organization  of  the  Connecticut 
department  of  the  Grand  Army  took 
place  in  Hartford,  April  11,  1867.  At 
the  beginning  of  1867  General  Edward 
Harland,  of  Norwich,  and  Colonel 
Hiram  B.  Crosby,  also  of  Norwich, 
were  made  members  of  the  Grand 
Army,  being  "initiated  into  the  new 
order"  by  Colonel  Russ  C.  Hawkins, 
of  the  Hawkins  Zouaves,  of  New  York 
city.  On  returning  to  Connecticut 
General  Harland  and  Colonel  Crosby 
became  apostles  of  the  new  faith,  hav- 
ing comradeship  and  loyalty  for  its 
foundation,  and  inaugurated  steps  to- 
wards permanent  organization.  Eight 
veterans  of  the  war  were  mustered  in 
at  the  start.  Hartford  was  visited 
and  upwards  of  a  dozen  more  men 
were  mustered  informally.  April  11, 
1867,  the  first  convention  of  the  or- 
der was  held  in  Hartford,  delegates 
from  different  sections  of  the  state 
taking  part  in  the  deliberations.  At 
this  convention  General  Harland,  of 
Norwich,  was  elected  department  com- 
mander, Edward  W.  Whitaker,  of 
Hartford,  senior  vice  commander, 
Charles  L.  Upham,  of  Meriden,  junior 
vice  commander,  Bela  P.  Learned,  of 
Norwich,  assistant  adjutant  general, 
and  Charles  M.  Coit,  of  Norwich  as- 
sistant quartermaster  general.  The 
members  of  the  First  Council  of  Ad- 
ministration were  Thomas  J.  Gilbert, 
of  New  Haven;  Edward  J.  Rice,  of 
Waterbury;  Major  Henry  C.  Dwight, 
of  Hartford;  John  Thompson,  of  Mid- 
dletown,  and  Colonel  William  H.  No- 
ble, of  Bridgeport.  The  department 
was  divided  into  four  districts,  corre- 


sponding with  the  congressional  dis- 
tricts in  territory.  General  Theodore 
G.  Ellis,  of  Hartford,  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  First  district;  Colonel 
Charles  L.  Upham,  of  the  Second; 
Colonel  Hiram  B.  Crosby,  of  the  Third, 
and  Colonel  William  H.  Noble,  of  the 
Fourth  district. 

ORIGINAL    OFFICERS    LIVING. 

An  order  was  issued  by  the  national 
department,  February  29,  1868,  abolish- 
ing the  Grand  Army  districts  and  the 
posts  of  the  state  department  assumed 
number  and  rank  in  accordance  with 
the  date  of  muster.  This  placed  Mer- 
riam  post  No.  8  in  line.  Of  the  or- 
iginal officers  of  the  department  Gen- 
eral Harland,  of  Norwich;  Colonel 
Charles  L.  Upham,  of  Meriden;  Assist- 
ant and  Adjutant  General  Bela  P. 
Learned,  of  Norwich,  and  General 
Henry  C.  Dwight,  of  Hartford  are  still 
living.  General  Harland  graduated 
from  Yale  college  in  the  famous  class 
of  1853  and  took  up  the  legal  profes- 
sion, which  he  has  pursued  for  half  a 
century.  He  commanded  Harland's 
Brigade  at  Antietam  and  Fredericks- 
burg, which  was  composed  at  Antietam 
of  the  Eighth  and  Eleventh  Connecti- 
cut, the  Fourth  Rhode  Island,  and  the 
Sixteenth  Connecticut  regiments.  The 
Twenty-first  Connecticut  was  subse- 
quently incorporated  in  the  brigade. 

GEN.     EDWARD     HARLAND. 

General  Harland  was  a  beloved  gen- 
eral officer  in  the  old  Ninth  corps  and 
has  retained  the  admiration  and  friend- 
ship of  his  men  since  the  war.  In 
1869  he  represented  Norwich  in  the 
General  Assembly,  the  Hon.  0.  H.  Piatt 
being  speaker  of  the  House  at  that 
time.  In  1870  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Senate  from  the  old  Eighth  district. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Pardons  since  its  organization.  His 
present  term  will  not  be  concluded  un- 
til the  first  Monday  in  June,  1907.  Gen- 
eral Harland  is  one  of  Connecticut's 
most  honored  citizens. 

LWING    PAST    COMMANDERS. 

There  are  eighteen  past  department 
commanders  now  living.  They  are 
General  Wm.  E.  Disbrow,  of  Bridge- 
port, who  was  quartermaster  general 
on  the  staff  of  Governor  George  E. 
Lounsbury;  George  S.  Smith,  of  Nor- 
wich;     Judge     Alfred     B.     Beers,   of 


132 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


W 


t—t 

i4 
O 

O 

H 
W 

w 
H 

t— I 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEX. 


133 


Bridgeport;  General  Frank  D.  Sloat, 
of  Washington,  D.  C;  General  Sam- 
uel B.  Home,  of  Winsted,  who  was  a 
member  of  Governor  P.  C.  Louns- 
bury's  staff;  Benajah  r:.  Smith,  of 
Willimantic;  Wilbur  r.  Rogers,  of 
Meriden;  Selah  G.  Blaneman,  of  Bir- 
mingham; John  M.  Brewer,  of  Hart- 
ford; Oscar  W.  Cornisn,  of  Water- 
"bury;  G.  D.  Bates,  of  Putnam;  Henry 
R.  Jones,  of  New  Hartrord;  Thomas 
Boudren,  of  Bridgepon;  N.  Burton 
Rogers,  of  Danbury;  United  States 
Senator  Morgan  G.  Bulkeley  and  Wil- 
liam C.  Hillard,  of  Bristol. 

THE    HONORED    DEAD. 

Fifteen  department  commanders 
have  died.  The  list  comprises  the 
names  of  General  Theodore  G.  Ellis, 
of  Hartford;  William  H.  Mallory,  of 
Bridgeport;  General  L..  a.  Dickinson, 
of  Hartford;  Charles  j.  Buckbee,  of 
New  Haven;  Frank  G.  Otis,  of  Meri- 
den; Charles  E.  Fowler,  of  New  Ha- 
ven; Isaac  B.  Hyatt,  of  Meriden; 
William  Berry,  of  Hartford;  John  T. 
Crary,  of  Norwich;  Judge  Henry  E. 
Taintor,  of  Hartford;  William  H. 
Pierpont,  of  New  Haven;  John  C. 
Broatch,  of  Middletown;  Henry  N. 
Fanton,  of  Danbury;  William  Edgar 
Simonds,  of  Hartford,  and  John  K. 
Bucklyn,  of  Mystic.  Department  Com- 
mander Frank  G.  Otis,  of  Meriden, 
died  in  office.  He  was  buried  with 
Grand  Army  honors,  August  12,  1878. 
General  E.  S.  Greeley,  or  New  Haven, 
acted  as  marshal  ancr  the  bearers 
were  General  L.  A.  Dickinson,  of 
Hartford;  Captain  Charles  J.  Buck- 
bee,  of  New  Haven;  James  R.  Sloane, 
of  Hartford;  W.  F.  Smith,  of  New 
Britain;  Lieutenant  Joseph  Beach  and 
Sergeant  J.  G.  Farnham.  The  mili- 
tary escort  was  furnished  by  Com- 
pany I,  Second  regiment,  Captain  H. 
B.  Wood  commanding.  iTie  Rev.  I. 
J.  Lansing,  of  the  Meriaen  Methodist 
church,  officiated  in  the  absence  of 
the  Rev.  A.  H.  Hall,  of  the  Corner 
Congregational  churcti,  who  was  the 
pastor  of  Commander  Otis.  He  had 
been  in  office  only  six  months.  He 
was  a  man  of  Christiaii  cnaracter  and 
life.  He  had  served  with  honor  in 
the  army  and  had  lost  an  arm  at  Ap- 
l)omattox. 


Department  Commander  Hyatt,  of 
Meriden,  whose  death  occurred  a  few 
weeks  ago,  was  an  able  and  success- 
ful Grand  Army  leader,  and  the  order 
under  his  administration  in  1883 
largely  increased  its  membership 
Commander  Hyatt  was  chief  of  the 
Meriden  fire  department  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  deservedly  popuittr 
in  his  field  of  activity. 

BROTHERS    WERE    COMMANDERS. 

In  one  case  in  the  history  of  the 
Grand  Army  in  Connecticut  brothers 
have  risen  to  the  rank  of  department 
commander.  This  distinction  has  fall- 
en to  the  lot  of  Wilbur  riske  Rogers, 
of  Meriden,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
department  in  1893,  and  N.  Burton 
Rogers,  of  Danbury,  wno  was  depart- 
ment commander  in  1902.  Past  De- 
partment Commander  Rogers,  of  Mer- 
iden, was  born  in  Saybrook,  July  18, 
1841,  being  the  son  of  Elam  Hervey 
Rogers.  He  was  living  in  New  York 
when  the  war  began.  He  enlisted  in 
the  Fourth  New  YorK,  which  was 
known  as  the  Scott  Life  Guard.  All 
of  the  officers  of  the  regiment  had 
served  in  the  Mexican  war.  The  date 
of  his  enlistment  was  April  17,  1861. 
He  was  in  the  battle  at  Big  Bethel, 
and  was  at  Antietam,  Fredericksburg 
and  Chancellorsville.  The  regiment 
volunteered  to  go  into  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  its  time  had  expired.  It  was 
mustered  out  May  5,  1563,  and  on  its 
return  to  New  York  was  given  the 
honor  of  a  review  by  General  Scott. 
Commander  Rogers  re-enlisted  in  the 
Thirty-fifth  New  Jersey  Zouaves,  and 
served  until  the  end  of  the  war,  tak- 
ing part  in  Sherman's  March  to  the 
Sea  and  the  Grand  Review  in  Wash- 
ington. He  was  a  sergeant  in  both 
regiments.  He  is  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Meriden,  and  has  taken  an  influen- 
tial part  in  public  life.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Army  and  Navy  club,  of 
Connecticut,  and  belongs  to  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  In  1880 
he  was  on  the  staff  of  National  Com- 
mander Wagner,  and  was  a  delegate 
in  1886  to  the  national  encampment  at 
St.  Louis.  He  was  married  January 
1,  1867,  to  Mary  Jane  Corbin,  niece  of 
Philip  Corbin,  of  New  Britain.  At  that 


134 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


time,  she  was  teaching  in  the  Meri- 
den  schools.  The  children  are  Bur- 
ton Cephas  Rogers,  secretary  of  the 
Connecticut  Telephone  company,  of 
Meriden,  and  Zula  Elizabeth  Rogers, 
who  was  a  teacher  for  six  years  in  the 
Meriden  High  school.  Department 
Commander  Rogers  was  in  the  silver 
plating  business  in  Mermen  from  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1866,  until  January  1,  1903, 
when  his  firm  was  sold  out  to  the  In- 
ternational Silver  company. 

N.  Burton  Rogers,  of  Danbury,  the 
brother  of  Wilbur  F.  Rogers,  was  de- 
partment commander  In  1902.  He  was 
born  in  Saybrook,  July  6,  1848,  and 
was  educated  at  the  Russell  Military- 
school  in  New  Haven.  He  was  a 
drummer  boy  in  the  Seventh  Connec- 
ticut regiment.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Danbury  post  of  the  Grand  Army, 
and  of  the  Army  and  Navy  club  of 
Connecticut.  He  is  president  of  the 
Rogers  Silver  Plate  company,  of  Dan- 
bury, and  is  a  man  of  superb  business 
qualifications.  He  is  widely  known 
throughout  the  state.  It  was  largely 
through  his  instrumentality  that  the 
Danbury  State  Normal  school  was  es- 
tablished. 

MEN    OF     PROMINENCE. 

The  department  commanders  in 
this  state  have  been  men  of  promi- 
nence in  politics  and  business.  Mor- 
gan G.  Bulkeley  holds  the  ofllce  of 
United  States  senator  from  this  state. 

William  Edgar  Simonds  was  speak- 
er of  the  House,  congressman  from  the 
First  district  and  United  States  com- 
missioner of  patents. 

Judge  Alfred  B.  Beers,  of  Bridge- 
port, is  president  of  the  Soldiers' 
Hospital  board,  and  General  Frank  D. 
Sloat  has  been  state  comptroller. 

Ira  E.  Hicks  is  postmaster  at  New 
Britain,  and  John  M.  Brewer  is  con- 
nected with  the  internal  revenue  de- 
partment. 

Henry  E.  Taintor  was  judge  advo- 
cate general  on  the  staff  of  National 
Commander  Lucius  Fairchild,  of  Wis- 
consin in  1886. 

General  Samuel  B.  Home  has  held 
the  office  of  United  States  consul  at 
Hayti. 

Selah  G.  Blakeman  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly. 


Henry  R.  Jones  is  on  the  retired  list 
in  the  regular  army. 

Isaac  B.  Hyatt  had  been  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  from  Meri- 
den. 

G.  D.  Bates,  of  Putnam,  is  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  Windham  county  and 
deserving  in  every  way  of  the  public 
honors  that  have  been  bestowed  upon 
him. 

POSTS     AND     MEMBERSHIP. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  sixty- 
two  posts  in  the  state  department. 
Joseph  R.  Toy  post,  of  Simsbury,  sur- 
rendered its  charter  January  1  of  this 
year. 

The  total  membership  is  3,900  in 
round  numbers. 

The  silver  anniversary  of  the  Grand 
Army  was  celebrated  at  the  state  en- 
campment in  Danbury,  February  9, 
1892,  Henry  N.  Fanton,  of  Danbury, 
was  department  commander.  The 
event  was  signalized  by  the  presence 
of  the  national  commander-in-chief, 
General  John  Palmer,  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

The  Connecticut  department  reached 
its  high  water  mark  in  1890.  The 
total  membership  was  6,946,  and  the 
amount  expended  in  relief  that  year 
was  $10,596.87.  This  was  under  the 
administration  of  Department  Com- 
mander John  C.  Broatch,  of  Middle- 
town.  The  membership  was  kept  up 
in  excess  of  6,000  until  1896,  when  it 
dropped  to  5,930. 

CHARITY     EXPENDITURES. 

From  1887  until  1904  inclusive,  the 
amount  expended  for  charity  by  the 
Grand  Army  posts  in  the  department 
was  $128,605.86.  The  amount  of  relief 
funds  reached  the  highest  figure  in 
1888,  the  total  that  year  being  $65,- 
760.19.  The  amount  at  the  end  of 
1904  was  $41,890.65. 

The  membership  in  1904  had  dropped 
down  to  3,936. 

The  work  of  the  Connecticut  depart- 
ment is  deserving  of  the  highest  admir- 
ation and  praise.  The  posts  have 
liberally  provided  for  the  sick  and  des- 
titute among  the  veterans  and  cared 
for  the  widow  and  fatherless.  It  has 
performed  a  beneficent  work  in  its 
own  way  and  in  keeping  with  the  true 
principles  of  comradeship. 

COL.     CHAS.    L.     UPHAM. 

The  first  junior  vice  commander  of 
the  Connecticut    department.     Colonel 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


135 


Charles  L.  Upham,  is  an  honored  citi- 
zen of  Meriden.  He  served  through 
the  Civil  war  in  the  Eighth  and  Fif- 
teenth Connecticut  regiments.  He 
commanded  the  Sixteenth  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Fredericksburg,  wearing  at  the 
time  the  shoulder  straps  of  a  captain 
of  infantry.  He  was  made  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  Eighth  in  March,  1863, 
and  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Fifteenth,  succeeding  Colonel  Dexter 
R.  Wright,  of  New  Haven.  After- 
wards he  was  made  colonel  of  the  reg- 
iment and  was  its  chief  officer  through 
the  balance  of  the  war.  Colonel  Up- 
ham was  a  man  of  undaunted  courage 
in  the  field,  and  a  man  of  the  most 
attractive  personality.  He  was  vice 
president  of  the  Army  and  Navy  club, 
of  Connecticut,  in  1879  and  1882,  and 
president  in  1884.  His  first  vice  presi- 
dency of  the  organization  was  under 
General  Hariand,  his  old  commander 
in  the  Virginia  campaign. 

ASST.    ADJ.    GEN.    LEARXED. 

The  first  assistant  adjutant  general, 
Bela  P.  Learned,  of  Norwich,  was  in 
the  First  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery 
in  the  war.  He  is  the  private  secre- 
tary of  ueneral  Hariand  and  is  a  man 
of  admirable  character. 

GEN.    H.    C.    DWIGHT. 

General  Henry  C.  Dwight,  of  Hart- 
ford, who  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Council  of  Administration,  served  in 
the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts  1u- 
fantrj%  and  has  been  president  of  the 
Regimental  association  twenty-five 
years.  He  has  been  mayor  of  Hart- 
ford and  was  on  the  staff  of  Governor 
Henry  B.  Harrison,  of  New  Haven. 

REV.    H.    C.    TRUMBULL. 

The  Rev.  H.  Clay  Trumbull,  of  Hart- 
ford, whose  death  took  place  in  Phila- 
delphia within  a  couple  of  years,  was 
the  first  chaplain  of  the  department. 
His  Civil  war  service  was  in  the  Tenth 
Connecticut.  He  was  a  loyal  repre- 
sentative of  the  Grand  Army  through 
the  whole  of  his  life  and  a  devoted 
friend  of  the  Civil  war  veterans. 

ROLL    OF    HONOR. 

Permanent  membership  in  the  en- 
campment is  a  badge  of  honor.  It  is 
held  by  some  of  the  ablest  and  most 
representative  men  in  the  state.  This 
roll  of  honor  comprises  the  names  of 
Chief  Justice  Torrance,  General  Har- 
iand, of  the   State  Board  of  Pardons, 


United  States  Senator  Bulkeley,  Judge 
Lynde  Harrison,  of  New  Haven,  the 
Hon.  Samuel  Fessenden,  General  Eras- 
tus  Blakeslee,  of  Boston,  Judge  A.  B. 
Beers,  of  Bridgeport,  D.  C.  Kilbourn, 
clerk  of  the  Litchfield  County  court, 
John  G.  Root,  president  of  the  Farmers 
and  Mechanics  National  bank,  of  Hart- 
ford, Major  Sidney  M.  Gladwin,  treas- 
urer of  the  Army  and  Navy  club  of 
Connecticut.  Wilbur  F.  Rogers,  of  Mer- 
iden, the  Rev.  Henry  Upson,  of  New 
Preston,  chaplain  of  the  old  Thir- 
teenth, General  A.  H.  Embler,  of  New 
Haven,  treasurer  of  the  Southern  New 
England  Telephone  company,  General 
William  E.  Morgan,  of  New  Haven,  H. 
L.  B.  Pond,  treasurer  of  the  H.  Wales 
Lines  company,  the  Hon.  M.  S.  Chap- 
man, of  Manchester,  United  States 
Marshal  Edson  E.  Bishop,  Colonel  Wil- 
liam H.  Tubbs,  of  New  London,  and 
General  Henry  C.  Dwight,  of  Hart- 
ford. 

NUMBER     OF     PAST     COMMANDERS. 

In  round  numbers  there  are  750  past 
post  commanders  in  the  department. 
There  have  been  eighty-six  posts  of 
the  Grand  Army  in  ths  state,  since  the 
beginning  of  the  department  in  1867. 
This  includes  the  old  Stedman  post,  of 
Hartford,  which  was  disbanded  more 
than  thirty  years  ago.  This  post  was 
named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Griffin  A. 
Stedman,  of  Hartford. 

DEPARTMENT    OFFICERS. 

The  department  officers  and  oflBcial 
staff  of  the  present  time  are: 

Commander — Albert  A.  May,  Post 
8,   Meriden. 

Senior  vice  commander — Franklin 
Ball,  Post  13,  Bristol. 

Junior  vice  commander — L.  W. 
Scofield,  Post  23,  Stamford. 

Medical  director — Dr.  Levi  Jewett, 
Post  53,  Middletown.  P.  0.  address. 
Cobalt. 

^uaplain — Wm.  F.  Hilton,  Post  50, 
Hartford. 

OFFICIAL    STAFF. 

Assistant  adjutant  general — John  H. 
Thacher,  Post  50,  Hartford. 

Assistant  quartermaster  general — 
Wm.  E.  Morgan,  Post  17,  New  Haven. 

Inspector— Wm.  Ferguson,  Post  4, 
South    Manchester. 

Chief  Mustering  officer— L.  a. 
Northrop,  Post  36,  Wallingford. 


136 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


CENTENNIAL  PARADE   ON   WEST   MAIN    STREET. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


137 


Judge  advocate— J.  E.  Simmons, 
Post  33,  Winsted. 

Senior  aide-de-camp — James  R. 
Sloane,   Post  8,   Meriden. 

DEPT.     COM.     A.     A.     MAY. 

Department  Commancer  Albert  A. 
May  was  elected  at  the  state  encamp- 
ment in  Bristol,  held  June  6,  1905.  He 
serveu  with  honor  in  the  Civil  war, 
being  in  twenty-seven  battles  from 
the  first  engagement  at  Bull  Run  and 
ending  at  the  capitulation  of  Lee  at 
Appomattox.  He  was  wounded  six 
times,  and  received  a  bayonet  thrust 
in  the  nose  at  Falls  Church,  Va.  At 
the  battle  of     the  Wilderness,  May  5, 

1864,  his  right  leg  was  shattered  by  a 
bullet.  Just  before  the  capitulation 
of  General  Lee  he  received  two  bullet 
wounds  in  the  same  leg.  The  remain- 
ing three  bullet  wounds  were  not  of  a 
dangerous  nature.  Department  Com- 
mander May  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
Second  Vermont  Infantry,  in  April, 
1861,  and  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service,  June  6,  of  that 
year.     He     was     discharged,     July  25, 

1865.  He  went  to  the  front  as  a 
private  in  Company  I,  and  returned 
as  first  lieutenant  in  command  of  the 
company.  He  was  only  seventeen 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  enlist- 
ment. He  became  a  member  of  John 
A.  Andrew  post,  of  Boston,  in  April, 
1867.  Afterwards  he  was  a  charter 
member  and  first  junior  vice  com- 
mander of  C.  W.  Carroll  post,  of  Ded- 
ham,  Mass.  On  removing  from  Ded- 
ham  to  Salem  he  transferred  his 
membership  to  Phil  H.  Sheridan  post, 
of  that  city.  He  removed  to  Meriden 
eleven  years  ago.  and  transferred  to 
Merriam  post.  He  was  elected  com- 
mander in  December,  1899,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  through  the  terms  of 
1900  and  1901.  He  has  been  the  adju- 
tant of  the  post  since  January,  1904. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Army  and  Navy 
club  of  Connecticut.  He  is  a  past 
master  of  Liberty  lodge,  F  .&  A.  M., 
of  Beverly,  Mass.,  and  a  member  of 
Meridian  lodge,  of  Meriden.  He  is 
engaged  in  the  business  of  an  under- 
taker, and  belongs  to  the  Funeral  Di- 
rectors' association  of  Connecticnt. 
Department  Commander  May  was 
born  in  Northfield,  Vt.,  oelng  the  son 


of  Houston  May.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  veteran  interests  in  this 
state  for  a  number  of  years,  holuing 
the  office  of  judge  advocate  of  the  de- 
partment in  1904.  His  administra- 
tion of  the  department  during  the  past 
year  has  reflected  credit  in  every  way 
and  will  rank  him  with  the  most  effi- 
cient commanders  that  the  depart- 
ment has  had. 

MEDICAL    DIRECTOR    JEWETT. 

Medical  Director  Jewett  and  As- 
sistant Adjutant  General  John  H. 
Thacher  are  old  and  trusted  standbys 
in  the  department.  Dr.  Levi  Jewett 
was  medical  director  at  the  time  of 
the  silver  anniversary  in  1892,  and 
the  assistant  adjutant  general  has 
been  in  office  since  1887,  receiving  his 
original  appointment  from  Depart- 
ment Commander  Henry  E.  Taintor. 
Dr.  Jewett  was  born  in  Griswold,  in 
1835,  and  was  educated  at  the  State 
Normal  school.  He  graduated  from 
the  New  York  Medical  college  in 
1857.  He  went  to  the  war  in  1862  as 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  Fourteenth 
Connecticut  regiment,  and  was  in 
most  of  the  battles  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  from  Antietam  to  the  siege 
of  Petersburg.  He  was  severely 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Reams'  Sta- 
tion. After  that  he  was  contract 
surgeon  in  the  hospital  department 
until  the  end  of  the  war.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  club 
of  Connecticut,  and  is  a  past  com- 
mander of  Mansfield  post,  of  Middle- 
town.  He  is  a  member  of  the  present 
General  Assembly  and  was  on  the 
Committee  on  Military  Afliairs  during 
the  session  of  1905.  He  was  engaged 
in  medical  practice  in  New  York  city 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  retired  in 
1883.  He  was  married  in  1857  to 
Mary  Taylor,  of  Middle  Haddam,  and 
It  is  confidently  hoped  that  his  golden 
anniversary  will  be  celebrated  in  1907. 
Since  his  retirement  from  medical 
practice  he  has  been  engaged  in  li- 
brary  and  educational  work. 

ASST.    ADJ.    GEN.    THACHER. 

Assistant  Adjutant  Genera]  Thacher 
was  born  in  Hartfora,  October  29, 
1846,  being  the  son  of  Sheldon  P. 
Thacher,  of  the  noted  dry  goods  firm 
of  Thacher,  Goodrich  &  Stillman.  Pro- 


138 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


fessor  Thomas  Thacher,  of  Yale  col- 
lege, was  his  uncle.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  G,  of  the  Twentieth 
Connecticut,  and  served  in  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  the  Army  of  the  Cum- 
berland and  the  Army  of  the  Tennes- 
see. He  is  a  member  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  club  of  Connecticut,  and  is  a 
past  commander  of  Robert  0.  Tyler 
post,  of  Hartford.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  of  Hartford.  Since 
October,  1870,  he  has  oeen  connected 
with  the  Connecticut  Fire  Insurance 
company,  and  has  been  its  cashier  for 
years.  He  has  long  been  a  member  of 
the  committee  on  credentials  in  the 
National  encampment. 

CHAPLAIN     \V.     F.     HILTON. 

The  department  chaplain,  William 
F.  Hilton,  of  Hartford,  was  educated 
at  Girard  college  in  Philadelphia.  In 
the  Civil  war  he  served  in  the  Twen- 
ty-third and  One  Hundred  and  Nine- 
ty-second Pennsylvania  regiments.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  clerical 
corps  in  the  Phoenix  Mutual  Life  In- 
surance company  for  many  years.  He 
was   first  appointed   chaplain  in   1903. 

CHIEF     OF     STAFF     SLOANE. 

Department  Commander  May's  chief 
of  staff,  James  R.  Sloane,  is  the  pres- 
ent commander  of  Merriam  post,  of 
Meriden.  He  was  born  in  Enfield, 
January  1,  1847,  being  the  son  of  An- 
drew Sloane.  He  enlisted  from  Mer- 
iden in  Company  C,  of  the  First  Con- 
necticut Heavy  Artillery,  December 
23,  1853,  and  served  until  September 
25,  1865.  He  was  in  Grant's  last  cam- 
paign at  Richmond  and  Petersburg. 
After  the  war  he  located  in  Hartford 
and  became  a  member  of  Nathaniel 
Lyon  post.  He  was  one  of  the  found- 
ers and  first  commanders  of  Brown 
post  in  Thompsonville.  He  returned 
to  Meriden  in  1883,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  business  and  politics  in 
the  city.  He  has  served  four  years  in 
the  Council  and  two  in  the  board  of 
aldermen.  At  present  he  is  a  town 
auditor.  He  is  cashier  of  the  Charles 
Parker  company,  of  Meriden.  and  is  a 
man  of  slpendid  business  attainments. 
He  is  a  member  of  Charter  Oak  lodge, 
of  Odd  Fellows  in  Hartford,  and  is 
state  grand  receiver     of     the  Ancient 


Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  has 
been  married  twice.  His  first  wife 
was  Sarah  E.  Hills,  of  Hartford.  She 
died  March  16,  1899,  leaving  five 
daughters  and  one  son,  all  of  whom 
are  married.  His  second  wife  was 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Rodman,  of  Lynn,  Mass., 
A^hom     he  married     October   16,  1905. 

ilERRIAM      POST,      NO.      8. 

The  Meriden  Grand  Army  post, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  influential 
in  the  state  department,  was  named 
in  honor  of  Lieutenant  Edwin  J. 
Merriam  of  the  Seventh  Connecticut 
regiment,  who  died  at  Fortress  Mon- 
roe from  the  effects  of  wounds  re- 
ceived August  16,  1864,  in  the  battle 
of  Deep  River,  Va.  The  first  meet- 
ing at  which  steps  were  taken 
towards  organizing  the  post  was  held 
at  the  residence  of  Rev-  Joseph  J. 
Wooley  in  January,  1867.  Mr. 
Wooley,  who  had  ben  a  chaplain  in 
the  war,  serving  in  the  Eighth  Con- 
necticut, was  at  the  time  of  this 
meeting  pastor  of  the  Center  Con- 
gregational church  in  Meriden.  He 
was  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with 
the  Grand  Army  movement  which 
was  the  rapidly  spreading  through- 
out the  west  and  north.  Chaplain 
Wooley  presided  at  the  meeting  and 
Lieutenant  Heber  S.  Ives  of  the 
Seventh  Connecticut  was  secretary. 
The  first  meeting  for  permanent  or- 
ganization of  the  post  was  held  at 
the  armory  of  the  Meriden  Veteran 
guards  in  the  Town  hall,  February 
1,   1867. 

An  application  for  a  charter  was 
filled  out  and  signed  by  Albert  T. 
Booth,  first  lieutenant  in  the  Eighth 
Connecticut,  William  H.  Minchin, 
corporal  Companv  F,  Fifteenth  C. 
v.,  Henry  A.  Kirtland,  Heber  S. 
Ives,  lieutenant  Seventh  Connecticut 
infantry,  Emerson  O.  Puffer,  ser- 
geant Company  D,  Thirty-first  Mass- 
achusetts, Norman  S.  Wood,  color 
sergeant  Seventh  Connecticut,  Fred 
H.  Parker,  Company  K,  Eighth  C.  V-, 
and  George  C.  Geer,  Company  K, 
Eighth   C.   V. 

These  vetrans  became  the  charter 
members.  The  first  officers  of  the 
post  were  elected  at  the  meeting  for 
permanent  organization.  Chaplain 
Wooley  was  made  post  commander, 
First  Lieutenant  N.  Pomeroy  Ives, 
senior  vice  commander;    Emerson  O. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


139 


Puffer,  junior  vice  commander; 
Charles  S-  Gallager,  adjutan;  Lieu- 
tenant Heber  S.  Ives,  quartermaster, 
and  Charles  W.  Yale  officer  of  the 
day.  Senior  Vice  Commander  N. 
Pomeroy  Ives  and  Quartermaster 
Heber  S.  Ives  were  cousins  and  had 
been  line  officers  in  the  service.  They 
were  nephews  of  John  Ives  of  the 
firm  of  Ives,  Upham  &  Rand- 

N.  Pomeroy  Ives,  who  was  a  first 
lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  Connecticut, 
was  United  States  commissary  at 
Point  Lookout,  Md.,  during  the  last 
year  and  a  half  of  the  war,  having 
charge  of  supplies  for  the  camp  of 
Confederate  Prisoners  of  War.  The 
first  commander.  Chaplain  Wooley, 
is  now  a  resident  of    Pawtucket,  R.    I. 

The  first  junior  vice  commander, 
Emerson  O.  Puffer,  is  now  engaged 
in  business  in  Boston.  The  charter 
of  the  post,  which  was  not  received 
until  the  first  convention  of  the 
Grand  Army  posts  of  the  state,  held 
in  Hartford,  April  11,  1867,  dated 
April  15,  1867.  Merriam  post  was 
represented  in  the  first  state  con- 
vention of  the  Grand  Army  at  Hart- 
ford. Colonel  Charles  L.  Upham 
was  present  and  was  made  junior 
vice  department  commander. 

At  the  second  state  encampment 
held  in  Hartford,  January  8,  1868, 
Colonel  Upham  was  elected  senior 
vice  departmentcommanderand  Com- 
mander Wooley  was  made  a  member 
of  the  council  of  administration. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  its 
career  Merriam  post  became  an  act- 
ive and  influential  force  in  the  state 
department. 

There  was  a  hiatus  for  some 
months  in  18  68  in  the  meetings  of 
the  post,  which  at  that  time  had  not 
ben  formally  named.  This  suspen- 
sion of  regular  meetings  failed  to  be 
prejudicial  to  the  interests  of  the  or- 
der. The  Meriden  men  kept  up  the 
spirit  and  comradeship  of  the  Grand 
Army. 

During  the  first  of  November, 
1868,  meetings  were  resumed  in 
Circle  hall  in  the  Hicks  building- 
Frank  J.  Carter,  now  of  Chicago, 
succeeded  E.  B.  Goodyear  and  Jos- 
eph J.  Wooley,  both  of  whom  had  oc- 
cupied six  months'  terms  as  com- 
mander during  the  suspension  of  reg- 
ular meetings.  The  meting  for  nam- 
ing the  post  was  held  November  16, 


1868,  The  vote  was  unanimously  in 
favor  of  Merriam  in  honor  of  Lieu- 
tenant Edwin  J.  Merriam  of  the  Sev- 
enth Connecticut  regiment.  Lieu- 
tenant Merriam  enlisted  in  the  Sev- 
enth from  the  town  of  Durham. 
After  three  years  of  service  in  the 
ranks,  he  re-enlisted  as  a  veteran 
and  was  made  second  lieutenant  in 
Company  C,  which  was  commanded 
by  Ira  E.  Hicks  of  New  Britain. 

SKETCH    OF   E.    J.    MERRIAM. 

In  the  History  of  Connecticut  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  prepared  by  Crofut 
&  Morris,  it  is  stated  concerning  Lieu- 
tenant Merriam:  "He  was  a  Christian 
soldier,  following  with  equal  fidelity 
the  cross  and  the  flag."  When  his 
time  expired  he  said:  "I  have  deter- 
mined to  re-enlist  in  order  that  I  may 
during  three  years  to  come  try  to  do 
good  to  the  souls  of  my  fellow  sol- 
diers." Chaplain  Wayland,  of  the 
Seventh  regiment,  said  of  him:  "He 
was  the  best  man  I  ever  knew,  uniting 
more  virtues  with  fewer  weaknesses." 
In  conversation  with  Chaplain  Eaton, 
Lieutenant  Merriam  once  remarked, 
and  the  words  came  rrom  his  heart: 
"I  am  willing  to  give  up  all  my  world- 
ly interests  and  enjoyments,  if  I  can 
thereby  secure  the  invaluable  bless- 
ings of  universal  justice  and  freedom 
to  those  who  shall  live  after  me." 

It  was  in  the  companionship  and 
comradeship  of  men  like  Chaplain 
Wayland,  Valentine  B.  Chamberlain, 
Lieutenant  Bacon,  son  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Bacon,  of  New  Haven,  Major  O.  S. 
Sanford,  of  Meriden,  Colonel  S.  S.  At- 
well,  of  Meriden,  now  of  Providence, 
R.  I.,  Daniel  C.  Rodman,  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  regiment,  Charles  E. 
Palmer,  William  H.  Pierpont,  Morton 
A.  Taintor,  of  Colchester,  Ira  E. 
Hicks,  of  New  Britain,  and  Major  Je- 
rome Tourtellotte,  of  Putnam,  that 
Lieutenant  Merriam  developed  and 
ripened  as  man  and  soldier.  It  was  a 
noble  comradeship,  full  of  manliness 
and  courage. 

Of  the  old  officers  of  Lieutenant 
Merriam's  day  in  the  Seventh  only 
half  a  dozen  remain.  They  are  Colo- 
nel S.  S.  Atwell,  of  Providence,  who 
was  the  last  commancer  of  the  regi- 
ment; Major  Jerome  Tourtellotte, 
Captain  John   Thompson,   of     Middle- 


I40 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


CITY   MISSION    BUILDING,    SHOWING   DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


141 


town,  Captain  Hicks,  or  New  Britain, 
Captain  Daniel  G.  Francis,  of  West 
Hartford,  and  Lieutenant  Phillips,  of 
Springfield,  Mass.  Captain  Thompson, 
who  was  in  command  of  the  Seventh 
in  the  engagement  at  Deep  Run,  said 
in  his  report:  "Lieutenant  Merriam 
had  been  wounded  in  the  engagement 
of  the  Fourteenth,  but  resumed  his 
command  and  was  again  wounded, 
while  nobly  discharging  his  duty;  and 
too  much  praise  cannot  be  awarded 
him."  Lieutenant  Merriam's  wound 
soon  proved  fatal,  "and  the  state," 
wrote  Chaplain  John  M.  Morris  in  his 
historj-,  "lost  no  more  devoted  son." 
Lifeutenant  Merriam  was  a  man  of  the 
noblest  impulses,  wholly  unselfish, 
and  one  of  the  best  of  friends  and 
companions.  He  died  in  the  cause 
that  commanded  his  absolute  allegi- 
ance and  devotion.  His  life  was  given 
without  lament,  freely,  joyously  even, 
for  the  defense  of  the  republic. 

The  position  of  commander  of  the 
post  was  resigned  by  Commander  Car- 
ter, August  23,  1869,  and  Past  Com- 
mander Wooley  was  cnosen  Septem- 
ber 13,  in  place  of  the  retirng  official. 
The  first  annual  election  of  officers  by 
the  post  took  place  December  23,  1870. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  elections  had 
been  semi-annual.  Chaplain  Wooley 
was  elected  commander  for  the  first 
term  of  one  year,  and  was  re-elected 
for  1871.  Hector  C.  Maydn  was  ad- 
jutant for  the  latter  year,  serving  with 
marked  success  in  that  capacity.  He 
has  been  adjutant  under  four  different 
commanders  since  1871.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  year  1871  that  Commander 
Wooiey  resigned,  the  date  being  Oc- 
tober 6.  The  occasion  for  this  course 
was  the  removal  of  Comander  Wooley 
from  the  state.  He  had  been  a  tried 
and  true  friend  of  the  post,  and  his 
departure  from  Meriden  was  looked 
upon  with  great  regret  by  the  veter- 
ans. Commander  Wooley  was  suc- 
ceeded by  that  nobleman  of  a  soldier, 
Frank  G.  Otis,  who  was  also  com- 
mander in  1872.  At  the  annual  meet- 
ing, December  31,  1872,  Wm.  H.  Mor- 
gan was  elected,  but  on  account  of 
business  alliances,  demanding  the 
whole  of  his  time,  he  resigned  the 
commandership.       Past       Commander 


Otis  was  again  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  post.  His  adjutant  through  the 
three  years  in  which  he  was  com- 
mander was  Isaac  B.  Hyatt,  whose 
death  occurred  here  April  28,  1906, 
William  L.  Stoddard  was  commander 
in  1875,  and  J.  H.  Chapman  in  1876. 
Isaac  B.  Hyatt  became  commander  in 
1877  and  held  the  position  through 
three  consecutive  years.  His  adjutant 
was  Hector  C.  Haydn. 

The  commanders  and  adjutants  of 
Merriam  post,  since  1879,  with  years  of 
office  have  been: 

COMM.VNDERS. 

William  G.  Gallager   1880 

*  Wallace  A.  Miles  1881 

Fred  A.  Higby  1882 

Wilbur  F.  Rogers  1883 

C.  C.  Kinne    1884 

*  E.  R.  Merriam  1885 

Julius  Augur    1886 

Albert  F.  Hall  1887 

H.  L.  B.  Pond  1888 

C.  S.  Kelsey 1889 

*  Allen  W.  Harvey    1890-'91 

Jacob  McCall  1891 

C.  A.  Breckenridge    1892 

*  H.  J.  Church   1893 

*  Fred  H.  Carter 1894 

Byron  C.  Harvey   1894 

*J.   C.   Twicheii    1895 

Frank  Hancock    1896  '97 

S.  Y.  Clark 1898 

H.  C.  Haydn 1899 

Albert  a.   May    1900-'C1 

Thomas  A.  Benham  1902 

Eugene  A.  Blake  1903 

William  H.  Harvey  1904 

James  R.  Sloane   1905-'06 

C.  C.  Wilcox  1880 

*  Deceased. 

ADJUT.^NTS. 

J.   D.   Proudman   1881 

H.  C.  Haydn  1882 

*  E.  R.  Merriam  1883 

J.  L.  Rutherford   1884 

A.  F.  Hall 1885 

*J.  C.  Twicheii   I886 

William  G.  Hooker  1887 

V.  E.  Hitchcock I888 

H.  C.  Haydn    1889 

James  R.  Sloane   1890-'91-'92 

George  E.  Flint 1893 

James  R.  Sloane 1894 

James  R.  Sloane  1895 

George  South  worth  1897 

H.  C.  Haydn    isgg 


142 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


S.  Y.  Clark  1899 

*  Charles  Brewer 1900-'01 

H.  C.  Haydn  1902 

Albert  A.  May  1903-'04 

Four  of  tue  past  commanders,  Isaac 

B.  Hyatt,  William  G.  Gallager,  Wallace 
A.  Miles  and  Constans  C.  Kinne,  now 
of  Glastonbury,  served  in  the  General 
Assembly,  of  Connecticut.  George  W. 
Couch,  Theodore  F.  Byxbee  and  George 
O.  Higby,  of  Meriden,  have  also  been 
members  of  the  Legislature.       Henry 

C.  Damon,  of  Berlin,  who  was  formerly 
a  member  of  the  post,  has  been  a  rep- 
resentative in  the  Legislature  from  that 
town  and  George  L.  Hotchkiss,  also  of 
the  post,  has  represented  the  town  of 
Cheshire. 

Merriam  post  has  furnished  four  de- 
partment commanders,  Frank  G.  Otis, 
1878,  Isaac  B.  Hyatt,  1883,  Wilbur  F. 
Rogers,  1893,  and  Albert  A.  May,  1905. 
Department  Commander  Otis  died  in 
office  and  was  buried  with  Grand  Army 
honors,  August  12,  1878.  He  had  serv- 
ed with  honor  in  the  Union  army  and 
had  lost  an  arm  at  Appomattox.  There 
was  sorrow  throughout  the  Grand 
Army  in  Connecticut  on  account  of  his 
death. 

Past  Department  Commander  Hyatt, 
who  died  the  last  of  April,  was  chief 
of  the  Meriden  fire  department  for 
many  years  and  was  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  as  a  public  man  and  citizen. 
Past  Department  Commander  Wilbur 
Fiske  Rogers  has  been  highly  honored 
by  the  citizens  of  Meriden  and  is  not 
unfamiliar  with  public  service.  He 
has  held  a  distinguished  place  in  the 
business  life  of  the  city. 

Department  Cammonder  May  has 
made  an  admirable  impression  in 
Grand  Array  circles  since  he  took  the 
department  commandership,  one  years 
ago.  He  is  the  present  adjutant  of 
the  post. 

Merriam  post  was  incorporated  by 
act  of  the  Legislature  in  1887.  The 
incorporators  were  Wallace  A.  Miles, 
Wilbur  F.  Rogers,  A.  F.  Hall,  J.  C. 
Twichell,  Thomas  A.  Benham,  William 
G.  Hooker,  A.  H.  Fairchild,  Dr.  E.  C. 
Newport,  Julius  Rogers,  C.  A.  Brecken- 
ridge,  B.  C.  Harvey,  F.  A.  Higby,  V.  E. 
Hitchcock,  0.  D.  Blakesley  F.  J.  Car- 
ter, W.  L.  Stoddard,  Isaac  B.  Hyatt, 
William  G.  Gallager,  Constans  C. 
Kinne,  E.  R.  Merriam  and  Julius  Au- 
gur.     The  act  of    incorporation     was 


signed  by  Governor  Phineas  C.  Louns- 
bury,  April  13,  1887.  Governor  Louns- 
bury,  who  had  served  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Connecticut  regiment,  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army. 

The  total  number  of  veterans,  who 
have  been  enrolled  in  Merriam  post,  is 
657.  The  number  of  members  at  the 
present  time  is  159.  The  officers  are: 
James  R.  Sloane,  commander;  James 
B.  Tracy,  S.  V.  C;  George  B.  Lawton, 
J.  V.  C;  Albert  A.  May,  adjutant;  Ju- 
lius Augur,  quartermaster;  T.  W.  Kil- 
bourne,  surgeon;  George  W.  Kelly, 
chaplain;  Wilbur  W.  Hart,  0.  of  Day; 
Jacob  McCall,  0.  of  Guard;  Frank 
Hancock,  sergeant  major;  Charles  L. 
Taylor,  Q.  M.  sergeant;  Jacob  Kline, 
sentinel;  T.  W.  Kilbourne,  librarian; 
George  R.  Southworth,  pianist. 

The  post  contains  a  large  number 
of  influential  business  men  in  Meri- 
den. Colonel  Charles  L.  Upham 
and  Philip  C.  Rand  of  the  host  are 
both  members  of  the  firm  of  Ives. 
Upham  &  Rand,  Thomas  A.  Ben- 
ham  is  secretary  of  the  Meriden 
Cutlery  company  and  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  Martin  B.  Schenck 
is  also  a  member  of  the  school  board 
and  a  well  known  manufacturer  of 
hardware.  George  W.  Couch,  who 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, is  a  fire  commisioner  and  has 
served  with  much  acceptance  on  the 
Soldiers'  Hospital  board.  William 
H.  Catlin  is  vice  president  of  the 
Meriden  Savings  bank.  Emerson  O. 
Puffer  has  a  large  clothing  estab- 
lishment in  Boston  and  Constans  C. 
Kinne  is  living  in  retirement  in  G,as- 
tonbury.  John  L.  Rutherford  is 
secretary  of  the  Poster-Merriam 
company.  The  post  is  represented 
on  the  police  force  by  Edwin  A. 
Puffer,  who  served  in  the  First  Ver- 
mont cavalry,  and  Charles  D.  Lewis, 
who  was  in  the  First  Connecticut  cav- 
alry. Theodore  F.  Byxbee  is  one  of 
the  wealthiest  men  of  this  city. 
Past  Commander  H.  L.  B.  Pond  is 
paymaster  for  the  H-  Wales  Lines 
company  and  George  E.  Flint  is 
treasurer  of  the  Wilcox  Silver  Plate 
company.  Past  Commander  A.  F. 
Hall  is  paymaster  for  the  Manning  & 
Bowman     company.  William     G. 

Hooker  Is  manager  in  the  Horton 
Printing  company.  John  S.  J^ane  is 
president  of  the  Lane  Construction 
corporation  company.     A.  L.  Bartlett 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


143 


is  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  tjie 
post  and  a  member  of  'the  finance 
committee.  Byron  C.  Harvey,  W.  H. 
Harvey,  eGorge  W.  Kelly,  John  H. 
McCormick,  Jacob  McCall,  Byron  G- 
Paddock,  who  escaped  from  Ander- 
sonville,  Edson  Sanford,  Charles  L. 
Taylor  and  Frank  Hancock,  janitor 
at  the  New  Haven  post  oflice,  are 
well  known  men  in  Meriden  &nd  re- 
spected veterans  of  the  Civil  war. 
Norman  S.  Wood  is  a  foreman  at  the 
Meriden  Britannia  company's  works 
and  Charles  A.  Breckonridge  is  with 
Edwin  Miller  &  Co.  The  past  com.- 
mander,  James  R.  Sloane,  is  cashier 
at  the  Parker  works  and  is  a  man  of 
solid  attainments  businesswise.  He 
has  won  political  honors  iu  the  city 
and  is  one  of  the  town  auditors  at 
present. 

Department  Commander  May,  ad- 
jaiant  of  the  post,  is  engaged  in  the 
undertaking  busines"!  and  is  popular 
throughout  the  city.  JuliUo  Augur, 
quartermaster  of  the  post,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Fire  commis- 
sioners. He  was  commander  in 
3  886  and  has  been  quartermaster 
fifteen  years.  He  was  a  nephew  of 
Lieutenant  Edwin  J.  Merriam  in 
honor  of  whom  the  post  was  named. 
He  enlisted  first  in  the  Fifteenth 
Connecticut  August  8,  1862,  and  was 
discharged  in  February,  1863,  from 
Chestnut  Hill  hospital  in  Philadel- 
phia on  account  of  disability.  He 
re-enlisted  in  Hartford,  December 
31,  1863,  in  Company  C  of  the  Sev- 
enth regiment.  He  was  dischaiged 
at  Goldsboro,  N.  C,  July  20,  J 865- 
He  became  a  member  of  Merrism 
post,  January  27,  1871.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Army  and  Navy  club 
of        Connecticut.  Quartermaster 

Augur  is  engaged  in  the  market  bus- 
iness. He  is  popular  in  the  post  and 
out,  being  a  man  of  attractive  per- 
sonality. 

Past  Commander  Charles  S.  Kel- 
sey  is  a  mounted  letter  carrier  and 
Past  Commander  Hector  C.  Hayden 
is  with  the  Bradley  &  Hubbard  com- 
pany. 

The  judge  of  probate,  John  Q.  Thay- 
er, is  one  of  the  foremost  members  of 
Merriam  post.  He  was  a  private  in 
Company  I,  of  the  Eighth  Connecticut, 
and  was  mustered  in  the  Grand  Army 
January  20,  1871.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Army  and  Navy  club  of  Connecti- 


cut and  one  of  the  most  respected  Civil 
war  veterans  in  the  state.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  probate  judge  for  a 
number  of  years,  discharging  the  duties 
of  the  office  in  an  able  and  satisfactory 
manner. 

Merriam  post  has  received  much  rec- 
ognition and  honor  from  the  national 
department.  The  list  of  appointments 
from  that  body  is:  Aides-de-camp, 
William  H.  Morgan,  1878,  John  C.  Rob- 
inson, of  New  York,  national  com- 
mander; Wilbur  Fiske  Rogers,  1880, 
Louis  Wagner,  of  Philadelphia,  nation- 
al commander;  Emerson  O.  Puffer, 
1882,  Paul  Van  Der  Voort,  of  Omaha, 
Neb.,  national  commander;  A.  H.  Fair- 
child,  1883,  Robert  B.  Beath,  of  Phila- 
delphia, national  commander;  William 

F.  Graham,  1885,  S.  S.  Burdett,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  national  command- 
er; C.  A.  Breckenridge,  1887,  John  P. 
Rea,  of  Minneapolis,  national  com- 
mander, and  J.  D.  Proudman,  1889,  R. 

A.  Alger,  of  Detroit,  national  com- 
mander.     James  R.  Sloane  and  Isaac 

B.  Hyatt  were  assistant  inspector  gen- 
erals, the  former  in  1879  and  the  latter 
in  1881.  William  G.  Gallager,  Constans 

C.  Kinne,  Wilbur  Fiske  Rogers,  Julius 
Augur  and  Wallace  A.  Miles  constitute 
the  list  of  national  delegates.  James 
R.  Sloane  was  alternate  in  1882  and 
William  G.  Gallager  in  1883.      William 

G.  Gallager  was  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Administration  in 
1885. 

In  1900  Department  Commander  May 
was  on  the  staff  of  Commander-in- 
Chief  Leo  Rassieur  of  St.  Louis.  In 
1903  Hector  C.  Haydn  was  on  the  staff 
of  Commander-in-Chief  John  C.  Black, 
of  Chicago,  and  Albert  C.  Hall  is  at 
presnt  on  the  staff  of  Commander-in- 
Chief  James  Tanner,  of  New  York.  T. 
W.  Kilbourne,  A.  J.  Doolittle  and 
George  W.  Couch  are  trustees  of  the 
post. 

The  initial  steps  towards  the  erec- 
tion of  the  soldiers'  monument  at  the 
head  of  East  Main  street  were  taken 
by  Merriam  post.  It  is  a  splendid  tes- 
timonial from  the  patriotic  citizens  of 
Meriden  and  the  post,  representing 
the  veterans  of  the  war.  '  At  an  en- 
thusiastic public  meeting  in  1870  the 
sum  of  110,000  was  appropriated  by 
the  town  for  the  monument.  The  mo- 
tion for  the  appropriation  was  made 
by  Rev.  Joseph  J.  Wooley.     The  Hon. 


144 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


SALESKI  BUILDING,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


145 


Orville  H.  Piatt  seconded  the  idea  in 
a  graceful  and  impressive  utterance, 
attesting  his  own  and  the  public's  in- 
debtedness to  the  Union  soldiers. 

It  was  a  characteristic  speech.  It 
may  be  said  in  this  connection  and 
ought  to  be  said  that  tne  veteran's 
from  Connecticut  never  had  a  better 
or  nobler  friend  in  the  United  States 
Congress  than  Senator  r'latt.  Merri- 
am  post  contributed  $1,000  towards 
the  monument.  The  dedication  took 
place  in  1873,  General  Joseph  R.  Haw- 
ley  delivering  the  oration.  The  floor 
cannon,  which  occupy  positions  on  the 
site  of  the  monument,  were  donated 
by  the  United  States  government, 
through  the  influence  of  Congressman 
Stephen  W.  Kellogg,  of  Waterbury. 
They  were  captured  from  the  rebels 
by  Union  troops. 

Merriam  post  has  one  of  the  best 
equipped  Grand  Army  halls  in  the 
state.  There  is  a  cluD  room  and  li- 
brary connected  with  the  headquar- 
ters, where  the  members  and  friends 
of  the  post  can  meet  at  any  time 
through  the  day  and  evening  for  social 
objects.  The  library  furnishes  an  en- 
joyable means  of  entertainment.  The 
hal  is  located  on  Colony  street,  and 
is  easily  accessible  from  the  railroad 
station.  The  first  meetings  of  the  post 
were  held  in  Circle  hall  in  the  Hicks 
building.  Afterwards  they  were  held 
in  what  was  known  as  the  "Flat 
Iron"  building,  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Crown  streets.  At  the  end  of 
three  months  the  post  was  compelled 
to  leave  the  "Flat  Iron"  and  move  in- 
to a  larger  hall  in  Stone's  building  on 
State  street,  which  was  used  by  the 
Meriden  Veteran  Guards  for  an  arm- 
ory. The  third  removal,  which  took 
place  during  the  fall  of  1S70,  was  to 
the  hall  of  Pacific  lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

It  was  in  this     hall  that     the   first 


annual  meeting  of  the  post  was  held. 
The  present  headquarters  have  been 
occupied  since  October  5,  1874.  Frank 
G.  Otis  was  commander  of  the  post 
at  that  time  and  took  great  interest  in 
the  change.  He  felt  it  was  a  step  to- 
wards the  prosperity  and  success, 
which  were  anticipated  for  the  post. 
These  anticipations  have  been  more 
than  realized  during  the  past  thirty 
years. 

Merriam  post  hall  has  been  a  well 
spring  from  which  the  beneficience  of 
the  Grand  Army  has  flowered,  giving 
comfort  and  relief,  where  needed  and 
inspiring  comradeship  and  loyalty  in 
all.  It  is  in  this  hall  that  the  veterans 
of  Meriden  have  grown  old  together. 
The  place  is  full  of  sacred  memories. 
In  the  heart  of  the  city,  it  is  a  center 
and  source  of  the  highest  patriotism. 
The  block  in  which  the  hall  is  lo- 
cated is  the  property  of  Merriam 
post,  having  been  bought  a  number  of 
years  ago  from  Horace  Wilcox.  The 
rentals  furnish  an  ample  income  for 
the  post.  The  purchase  of  the  block 
was  an  admirable  business  transac- 
tion. With  the  exception  of  J.  H.  Con- 
verse post,  of  Windsor  Locks,  Merri- 
am post  has  no  rival  in  the  depart- 
ment in  the  way  of  property  owner- 
ship. The  handsome  Memorial  hall 
that  is  owned  by  Converge  post  was 
given  by  the  venerable  philanthropist, 
Charles  E.  Chaffee,  of  Windsor  Locks, 
who  will  be  eighty-eight  years  of  age 
the  last  of  this  month.  The  sum  of 
$25,000  was  given  by  Mr.  Chaffee  for 
the  hall. 

Merriam  post  occupies  an  enviab'9 
place  in  the  community.  Said  H. 
Wales  Lines  a  few  days  ago,  voicing 
the  public  feeling:  "Whatever  Merri- 
am post  wants  in  Meriden,  it  can 
have."  It  has  been  nobly  dealt  with 
and  has  nobly  deserved  the  public  ad- 
miration and  confidence. 


10 


146 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


D.  A.  R.    MEMORIAL 


Mefiden  having  furnished  its  quota  of 
soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
there  are  many  of  their  descendants,  men 
and  women,  in  this  city.  It  is,  there- 
fore, appropriate  that  there  should  be 
chapters  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution  here.  There  are  two  of 
them  in  existence,  the  Ruth  Hart  chap- 
ter and  the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke 
chapter.     Each  has  about   150  members. 

The  Ruth  Hart  chapter  is  the  oldest 
of  these  organizations.  On  November 
29,  1892,  a  meeting  of  ladies  interested 
in  the  formation  of  a  chapter  of  the 
daughters  met  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Winthrop  hotel  and  listened  to  an  ad- 
dress by  Mrs.  De  B.  Randolph  Keim. 
F'roni  that  time  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  has  been  in  exist- 
ence. It  was  not  until  April  8,  1893,  that 
the  charter  was  secured.  Mrs.  Levi  E. 
Coe  was  the  first  regent  and  Miss  Fan- 
nie L.  Twiss,  secretary.  It  was  decided 
to  name  the  chapter  Ruth  Hart  in  honor 
of  the  wife  of  General  Selah  Hart,  who 
commanded  the  Connecticut  militia  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

From  the  start  the  chapter  prospered 
and  at  each  meeting  new  members  were 
admitted,  but  after  a  while  dissensions 
arose.  It  was  as  to  the  proper  spelling 
of  the  name  of  the  chapter.  Some  de- 
clared it  should  be  Hart  while  others 
were  of  the  opinion  that  Heart  was  cor- 
rect. No  agreement  could  be  reached 
and  on  October  8,  1895,  twenty-four  of 
the  members  dropped  from  the  roll. 
They  formed  a  rival  chapter  and  named 
it  Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chapter. 
Mrs.  Kate  Foote  Coe  was  elected  re- 
gent and  she  has  occupied  that  office 
ever  since. 

For  some  years  the  two  chapters  had 
no  interests  in  common  and  held  aloof 
from  each  other.  F>ut  that  is  now  a 
thing  of  the  past.  Centennial  week  and 
the  incidents  pertaining  thereto  brought 
them  in  close  bonds  of  friendship  and 
one  and  all  were  hard  at  work  for  weeks 


preparing  for  the  celebration.  Officers 
and  i^iembers  took  the  deepest  interest 
in  the  celebration  and  the  unveiling  of 
the  tablet  to  the  memory  of  the  soldiers 
of  the  Revolution. 

Some  of  the  souvenirs  which  were 
gathered  by  the  daughters  and  which 
were  on  exhibition  were  of  great  inter- 
est. One  of  them  was  a  chain  made  of 
steel.  Pendant  from  it  is  a  small  disk 
also  of  steel.  Set  in  gold  and  one  side 
is  a  head  of  Washington  and  on  the 
other  one  of  Lafayette.  Although 
strongly  made  the  chain  is  very  light. 
One  of  the  exhibits  that  was  of  interest 
to  the  men  who  served  in  the  Civil  war 
was  a  pack  of  cards.  They  were  car- 
ried on  many  a  battlefield  and  while 
made  in  1863  did  not  show  signs  of  hard 
usage.  They  were  loaned  to  the  daugh- 
ters by  Mrs.  Laura  A.  Payne. 

Mrs.  Kate  Foote  Coe,  the  regent  of 
Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chapter,  is  a 
resident  of  New  Haven.  She  is  the 
widow  of  Judge  Andrew  J.  Coe  and 
was  born  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  May  31, 
1840.  Her  ancestry  on  her  father's  side 
includes  General  Ward  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  and  Colonel  Andrew  Ward,  an 
officer  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars. 
After  obtaining  an  education  she  be- 
gan her  career  as  teacher,  first  presiding 
over  the  district  school  of  her  native 
village.  Later  she  taught  at  the  Hart- 
ford Female  seminary.  In  1863  she  went 
south  and  taught  among  the  negroes 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  Civil  war. 
From  Beaufort,  S.  C,  she  went  to  St. 
Augustine.  Fernandino  and  Jackson- 
ville, Fla.  She  was  accompanied  by  her 
sister,  Harriet  Ward  Foote,  who  became 
the  first  wife  of  the  late  Senator  Jo- 
seph R.  Hawley.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  she  continued  teaching.  The  work 
of  her  pen  has  delighted  the  reading 
public  and  she  has  contributed  to  the 
best  magazines.  For  fifteen  years  while 
she  was  the  Washington  correspondent 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


147 


of  the  Independent  she  secured  the  ful/ 
confidence  of  many  famous  men  and 
women.  Mrs.  Coe  has  traveled  exten- 
sively in  this  and  foreign  lands.  Her 
first  trip  abroad  was  in  1872  when  she 
spent  a  year  in  Europe.  In  her  travels 
she  found  and  improved  the  opportun- 
ity to  study  the  people  of  the  Philip- 
pines, Mexico,  Jamaica  and  Trinidad. 
Upon  her  marriage  with  Judge  Andrew 
Coe  she  spent  a  winter  in  Caracas, 
Venezuela.  After  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band she  removed  to  New  Haven,  tak- 
ing up  her  residence  with  her  sister, 
Mrs.  Edward  H.  Jenkins,  whose  hus- 
band is  director  of  the  Agricultural  Ex- 
periment Station  of  Connecticut.  For 
many  years  she  has  been  a  leader  in 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion. 

Mrs.  William  H.  Catlin  is  the  regent 
of  Ruth  Hart  chapter.  One  of  her  an- 
cestors was  a  passenger  of  the  May- 
flower when  that  vessel  made  its  second 
voyage  to  this  country.  Her  great- 
grandfather was  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  and  was  officer  of  the  day  when 
Major  Andre  was  hanged.  She  is  also 
a  direct  descendant  of  Governor  Prince 
and   Elder   William   Brewster. 

Mrs.  Charles  E.  Morgan  for  the  past 
two  terms  has  been  the  corresponding 
secretary  of  Ruth  Hart  chapter'  and 
while  in  office  has  endeared  herself  in 
the  minds  of  her  associates.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Ransom  Baldwin  and 
was  born  in  this  city,  as  were  her 
father  and  grandfather.  She  graduated 
from  the  Meriden  High  school  in  1892 
and  from  the  Emerson  College  of  Ora- 
torv  of  Boston  three  vears  later. 


Mrs.  Sara  T.  Kinney,  state  regent  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, was  the  chief  figure  at  the  exer- 
cises in  the  afternoon  at  the  vmveiling  of 
the  tablet,  that  bronze  memorial  which 
was  given  by  the  Susan  Carrington 
Clarke  chapter,  and  contains  the  names 
of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  and  mil- 
itiamen from  the  parish  of  Meriden, 
1775  to  1783.  Services  of  a  very  im- 
pressive nattire  were  held  in  the 
First  Methodist  church  under  the  aus- 
pices of  Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chap- 
ter, and  that  the  memory  of  the  dead 
is  still  held  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of 
the  people  of  the  present  was  shown  bv 
the   large  number  who  were   in   attend- 


ance.- There  was  not  a  vacant  seat  in 
the  church,  and  many  were  obliged  to 
stand ;  even  that  they  were  willing  to  do 
in  order  to  attend  the  exercises. 

All  invited  guests  and  members  of  the 
D.  A.  R.  were  seated  in  the  body  of  the 
church,  and  the  galleries  were  opened 
to  the  public.  Previous  to  the  exer- 
cises the  members  of  the  local  D.  A. 
R.  assembled  in  the  parlors  of  the 
church   at  the   Pleasant   street  entrance. 

The  exercises  opened  with  music  by 
the  glee  club,  which  was  followed  by 
an  historical  address  by  Mrs.  Kinne}'. 
The  presentation  of  the  tablet  was  then 
made  by  Mrs.  Louis  K.  Curtis.  In  the 
address  she  said  : 

PI^SENTATION     SPEECH. 

Madam  State  Regent,  Madam  Re- 
gent, visiting  daughters  and  friends — 
This  is  to  us  a  very  joyful  occasion. 
There  is  always  great  satisfaction  in 
the  consideration  of  work  accomplished, 
a  task  well  done.  We  forget  all  the 
weary  hours  of  labor,  the  arduous  toil 
in  the  grand  consummation,  yet  it  is  not 
all  joy,  for  we  remember  with  love  the 
one  who  stood  at  the  head  of  our  com- 
mittee, our  chairman.  Miss  Emma  Sav- 
age, who  loved  the  work  so  dearly,  and 
who  has  passed  on  to  other  activities. 
If  the  dear  Lord  permits,  I  am  sure 
she  is  very  near  us  to-day,  rejoicing 
with  us  in  the  work  achieved. 

In  the  War  of  the  Revolution  the 
soldiers  of  Connecticut  stood  in  the 
fore  front  battling  for  their  rights  and 
on  the  roster  stand  the  names  of  many 
high  in  the  military  rank.  To  the  gen- 
eral, the  colonel,  the  major  are  given 
fame  and  honor,  while  to  those  of  lesser 
rank  is  given  the  work  leading  to  that 
honor. 

Meriden's  roster  has  no  general,  no 
colonel,  no  major,  but  over  the  names 
of  t,he  113  loyal  soldiers  who  did  the 
work  so  nobly,  over  their  names  we 
have  set  the  palm  branch  as  an  em- 
blem of  our  love,  and  loyalty  and  de- 
votion. 

Madam  Regent,  the  tablet  committee 
have  the  honor  to  announce  that  the  tab- 
let has  been  placed  in  the  Curtis  Me- 
morial   library. 

There  was  music  by  a  trio  and  then 
Mrs.  Kate  Foote  Coe,  regent  of  Susan 
Carrington  Clarke  chapter,  presented 
the  tablet  in  the  following  address: 


148 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


MRS.   SARA   T.   KINNEY, 
State   Regent,    D.    A.   R. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


149 


KATE   FOOTE   COE. 

Ladies  of  the  Susan  Carrington 
Clarke  chapter  and  visiting  friends : 

We  all  theoretically  approve,  yes  like 
peace.  But  when  it  comes  to  the  set- 
tlement of  great  questions,  the  greatest 
questions,  we  settle  them  by  an  appeal 
to  arms. 

"There  is  nothing  worse  than  war," 
said  an  army  officer  once  in  my  hearing. 
He  had  been  giving  us  some  reminis- 
cences of  our  Civil  war. 

"Yes,  there  is,"  said  a  sudden  voice 
ringing  out  like  a  bugle  call.  We  all 
looked  up  in  surprise ;  it  seemed  as  if 
there  could  be  no  contradiction  of  that 
statement.  "Yes,"  said  the  second  man, 
also  an  officer— "a  cowardly  peace." 

But  apparently  there  is  no  other  way 
as  yet.  So  we  have  had  our  two  great 
wars,  the  one  of  1776,  the  other  of  1861. 
The  first  put  us  on  the  road  to  being 
a  great  nation ;  the  second  held  us  there. 

The  battles  and  the  soldiers  of  1776 
are  far  back  in  our  history,  so  far  that 
— as  they  give  sainthood  to  the  Catholic 
church  long  after  the  saint  has  been 
dead,  a  hundred  years  or  more — we  feel 
now  that  every  man  who  carried  a  mus- 
ket, who  drove  an  army  team,  whose 
name  is  in  any  office,  is  on  the  muster 
rolls  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  whether 
he  bled  and  died,  or  came  home  alive 
to  his  family  and  friends,  we  feel  that 
all  these  men  deserve  the  sainthood  of 
having  their  names  preserved  and  in- 
scribed where  men  shall  see  them  and 
remember  what  they  stand   for. 

This  is  why  we  have  this  tablet — this 
is  why  we  have   come   here  to-day. 

It  has  been  a  labor  of  love,  and  Mer- 
iden  has  sent  her  beauty  and  chivalry 
to  the  entertainments  we  have  offered, 
and  this  when  they  knew,  when  we  un- 
blushingly  admitted,  that  we  wanted 
them  to  put  their  hands  in  their  pockets 
and  help  us. 

And  the  chapter  stood  by  nobly.  You 
upheld  the  committee — the  committee 
who  bore  the  brunt  of  the  whole  thing. 
Your  chairman  has  spoken  of  Miss  Sav- 
age, beloved,  but  gone  from  us.  I  can 
only  add  my  own  regrets  and  the  feeling 
of  personal  loss   in  her  death. 

The  chapter  found  and  knew  a  true 
artist  when  they  saw  him,  and  Mr. 
Gudebrod  has  given  us  of  his  best 
work.     When   vou    see   the   tablet,   note 


the  clearness  of  the  lettered  names,  that 
scroll  of  honor  of  Meriden's  men;  note 
the  grace  of  the  figure  that  stands  mod- 
estly aside,  yet  bears  the  palm  above 
them ;  the  palm,  that  emblem  of  mar- 
tyrdom   and    of   victory. 

Mr.  Curtis,  we  have  the  pleasure  of 
giving  into  your  custody  in  the  Me- 
morial library  this  result  of  our  labors 
and  anxieties.  It  will  have  its  lesson 
for  those  who  throng  there.  It  will  add 
to  the  beauty  of  the  gift  Mrs.  Curtis 
has  made  to  the  town,  and  we  thank 
you  for  this  opportunity  you  have  given 
us. 

MRS.    Kinney's    address. 

Mrs.  Kinney  gave  the  principal  ad- 
dress at  the  memorial  exercises.  She 
spoke  as  follows : 

It  is  always  a  happiness  to  me  to 
be  the  guest  of  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  especially 
on  such  an  occasion  as  this.  It  is  no 
ordinary  event  that  has  called  us  to- 
gether this  afternoon.  We  are  here 
for  the  purpose — among  other  pur- 
poses— of  extending  our  felicitations  to 
the  town  of  Meriden  upon  its  good  for- 
tune in  having  safely  weathered  not 
only  its  infantile  woes  but  the  stress 
ancf  turmoil  of  youth,  and  of  having 
finally  attained  to  its  full  majority.  We 
have  also  to  congratulate  Meriden  up- 
on the  very  artistic  and  historically 
valuable  work  of  art  which  comes  to 
the  town  to-day  as  a  birthday  gift  from 
the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chapter, 
D.  A.  R.,  and  surely  our  congratula- 
tions are  due  to  the  chapter  itself 
upon  the  consummation  of  a  most  in- 
teresting and  truly  patriotic  labor  of 
love,  and  we  may  all  draw  from  its 
example  fresh  courage  and  hope  for 
the  future  of  our  work,  and  for  the 
great  society  which  we  have  the  honor 
to  represent.  There  are  always  good 
reasons  to  be  given  for  the  wisdom 
and  progressive  spirit  which  is  dis- 
played by  certain  towns,  and  it  isn't 
necessary  to  go  far  afield  to  find  at 
least  one  entirely  satisfactory  and  sig- 
nificant reason  for  Meriden's  present 
position  as  one  of  the  foremost  towns 
of  the  state. 

The  fact  is,  Meriden  has  a  larger 
constituency  of  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  than  any  other  town  of 
Connecticut,  and  this  alone  speaks  vol- 
umes   for    the    Silver    Citv,    as    we    see 


ISO 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


and  know  it  to-day.  But  for  the  ex- 
istence of  the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke 
and  Ruth  Hart  chapters,  D.  A.  R.,  it' 
is  to  be  feared  that  Meriden's  Old 
Home  week  would  have  lacked  some 
of  the  essentials  now  so  apparent  in 
the  splendidly  brilliant  event  which 
thousands  of  her  well  wishers  are  en- 
joying at  this  time.  I  suppose  it  must 
be  admitted  that  Meriden  differs  some- 
what from  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  as  well  as  other  Daughters 
of  Eve,  in  her  frank  willingness 
to  tell  her  age.  Meriden  rejoices 
and  desires  every  one  to  rejoice 
in  the  fact  that  she  is  lOO  years  young, 
and  that  she  is  just  now  making  plans 
for  a  long  and  useful  career  which 
may  possibly  reach  its  meridian  five 
hundred  or  a  thousand  years  hence. 
May  the  best  of  good  fortune  attend 
the  town  in  the  centuries  that  lie  before 
it. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution are  gathered  here  this  after- 
noon to  do  honor  to  the  memory 
of  the  men  from  this  locality  who 
fought  to  make  us  a  nation,  and  we  in 
turn,  are  honored  by  the  presence  and 
the  interest  in  our  exercises  of  men 
who  fought  to  preserve  us  a  na- 
tion. It  is  possible  that  never  before 
had  there  been,  and  perhaps  never 
again  in  the  history  of  this  country  will 
there  be  such  an  inrush  into  the  hearts 
of  both  men  and  women,  of  ethical  loy- 
alty to  patriotic  ideals  as  was  manifest 
during  those  fateful  years  from  1861  to 
1865.  The  sundering  of  family  ties,  the 
severing  of  lifelong  friendships,  the  at- 
tempted outrage  upon  the  fundamental 
principles  which  underlie  the  founda- 
tions of  our  republic  were  staggering 
blo;ws.  But  as  fierce  fire  melts  and 
welds  particles  of  metal  into  unbending 
and  unbreakable  bars  of  steel,  so  this 
inherent  consciousness  of  the  chaotic 
nature  of  the  secession  movement 
welded  together  the  rank  and  file  into 
an  invincible  and  unconquerable  army 
of  men  who  fought  and  bled  and  died 
for  good  citizenship  and  an  unwaver- 
ing loyalty  to  an  ideal  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the 
people.  The  men  who  fought  under 
Grant,  Sherman,  Sheridan,  Sedgwick, 
Terry,  Hawley  and  Mansfield,  under 
I'^arragut,  Foote,  Porter  and  many  an- 
other gallant  leader  will  never  be  for- 
gotten by  us. 

They  have  given  us  a  legacy  of  honor 


and  of  hope — and  their  unsullied  rep- 
utations will  be  forever  held  in  the 
tender  keeping  of  a  grateful  republic. 
Veterans,  we  thank  you  for  your  pres- 
ence with  us  to-day.  The  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution  salute  you ! 
As  most  of  us  know,  the  national  so- 
ciety. Daughters  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution, is  the  largest  patriotic  heredi- 
tary organization  in  the  world.  It  is 
chartered  by  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States.  It  has  a  membership  of  over 
50,000  and  these  members  may  be  found 
in  every  state  and  territory  in  the  Union, 
in  Canada,  Hawaii,  the  Philippines, 
■ — in  England,  France,  Italy — and  even 
in  far  otf  India.  All  through  this  dear 
land  of  ours,  and  especially  throughout 
the  commonwealth  of  Connecticut,  the 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
are  doing  the  kind  of  patriotic,  histor- 
ical, commemorative  and  educational 
work  which  is  theirs  to  do,  by  right  of 
inheritance,  and  in  accordance  with  the 
requirements  of  the  National  Society 
of  which  each  and  every  "Daughter"  is 
a  member. 

This  society  was  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  perpetuating  the  memory  of 
the  men  and  women  who  gave  material 
aid  to  the  cause  of  liberty  during  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  and  is  a  me- 
morial established  by  lineal  descendants 
of  patriots,  that  the  names  and  services 
of  those  same  patriots  may  be  remem- 
bered in  years  to  come,  as  a  part  of 
the  nation's  history.  Its  historical 
value  is  now  so  fully  acknowledged,  that 
it  is,  and  will  always  continue  to  be  es- 
teemed a  privilege  and  an  honor  to  come 
into  its  membership.  For  the  past 
200  years  this  country  has  been  exceed- 
ingly busy  making  history.  We  are  now 
beginning  to  mark  history.  We  are  real- 
izing as  never  before  the  need  of  reach- 
ing out  and  gathering  up  the  threads  that 
lead  to,  and  are  explanatory  of  this, 
that,  or  the  other  historic  event  and 
of  weaving  them  into  intelligible  stories 
which  may  be  graven  on  stone  or 
moulded  in  bronze,  and  placed  in  our 
public  buildings,  by  the  wayside,  in 
parks  or  in  busy  city  streets.  These 
stories  do  not  so  much  concern  the  in- 
dividuals whose  names  may  chance  to 
be  identified  with  them,  as  they  do  the 
loyalty  to  high  ideals  which  actuated 
the  dramatis  personae  in  the  historic 
events  which  are  recorded  thereon,  and 
as  a  rule  these  stories  are  so,  briefly 
told,    so   strong   in   their   simplicity   and 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


151 


SO  clear  in  their  conclusions,  that  tlie 
wayfaring  man  or  woman  even  though 
unable  to  read  a  word,  need  not  err 
in  his  or  her  understanding  of  them, 
nor  of  their  raison  d'etre.  From  Maine 
to  California  this  dear  land  of  ours  is 
being  starred  by  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  with  stories  in 
bronze  and  sermons  in  stones,  and 
every  one  of  them  is  a  leaf  out  of 
United    States    historj-. 

Perhaps  in  no  other  country  are  such 
lessons  in  history  more  needed  than 
right  here  in  our  own  United  States. 
No  other  ruler  in  the  world  has  such 
a  composite  constituency  as  has  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  And  this 
constituency  includes  a  much  larger 
proportion  than  it  should,  of  unedu- 
cated and  lawless  men  and  women  who 
have  little  or  no  respect  for  the  laws  of 
God  or  man^men  and  women  who 
are  practically  without  a  country  and 
without  homes.  One  of  the  missions  of 
the  D.  A.  R.,  of  all  patriotic  organiza- 
tions, in  fact,  is  to  reach  and  teach  these 
people  the  real  meaning  and  value  of 
law ;  the  real  meaning  and  strength  of 
loyalty  to  one's  country — the  real  mean- 
ing and  beauty  of  pure  homes.  If  from 
no  higher  motive,  than  in  the  interests 
of  political  economy  alone,  these  people 
should  be  saved  from  themselves  in 
spite  of  themselves.  I  believe  that  the 
effort  to  accomplish  this,  or  at  least 
some  part  of  it,  is  one  of  the  strong, 
underlying  purposes  of  the  D.  A.  R. 
The}'  wish  to  be  factors  for  good  in 
their  respective  communities ;  they  wish 
to  add  their  strength  to  the  world-wide 
effort  to  uplift  humanity — they  wish  to 
do  what  they  can  and  may  do  to  make 
this  world  a  little  brighter,  a  little 
better,  and  a  good  deal  more  patriotic 
than  we  sometimes  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve it  is.  After  the  fashion  of  wom- 
en we  must,  of  course,  do  this  work 
in  our  own  way.  We  may  not  go  into 
the  pulpit  and  preach  our  sermons  to 
a  little  coterie  of  men  and  women 
whose  beliefs  are  the  same  as  our  own. 
Our  way,  one  of  our  ways  at  least, 
is  to  carve  our  sermons  on  stones 
or  mould  them  in  bronze,  and  set  them 
up  where  people  of  all  creeds  or  no 
creed  at  all,  may  read  them.  We  may 
not  enter  the  more  or  less  sacred  pre- 
cincts on  Capitol  hill  in  Washington 
and  join  our  distinguished  congressmen 
in  the  business  of  making  laws  for  80,- 
000,000  people.     But,  the  Daughters  may 


and  do  invite  them  to  come  to  us  and 
co-operate  in  our  business  of  setting  up 
by  the  wayside  these  fadeless  pages  out 
of  the  history  of  our  state  where  they 
may  be  seen  and  read  of  all  men. 

Within  the  past  ten  years  and  in  ad- 
dition to  a  phenomenally  large  amount 
of  work  along  other  lines  of  effort,  be- 
tween fifty  and  si.xty  such  memorial 
stones  and  tablets,  fountains  and  gate- 
ways have  been  placed  by  the  Connec- 
ticut D.  A.  R.  to  mark  historic  spots  or 
to  record  the  virtues,  the  sacrifices  and 
the  ideals  of  our  Revolutionary  heroes 
and    heroines. 

The  debt  of  gratitude  which  we  all 
owe  to  the  makers  of  the  Republic  can 
never  be  paid  in  coin  of  the  realm,, 
but  the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chap- 
ter, D.  A.  R.,  will  to-day  in  some  meas- 
ure, at  least,  discharge  its  share  of  the 
moral  obligation  which  is  laid  upon 
every  patriotic  heart  to  keep  green  the 
memory  of  the  men  and  women  who 
achieved  American  independence.  This 
town  sent  113  men  into  the  ranks  of 
the  Revolutionary  army.  You  recall 
the  story  of  the  dauntless  seven  who 
fell  in  the  battle  of  Lexington — Brown, 
Hadley,  Monroe,  Parker,  Porter  and  the 
two   Harringtons  : 

"Harrington   lies  on  his   doorstep   dead. 
But,   oh,  ye   six  that   round  him   lay 
And   bloodied   up   that  April   day, — 
As    Harrington    fell,    ye    likewise    fell — 
At   the   door   of   the   house   wherein   ye 

dwell. 
As  Harrington  came,  ye  likewise  came. 
And  died  at  the  door  of  your  house  of 

fame."' 

During  the  war  which  followed,  each 
colony  and  each  locality  had  its  Har- 
ringtons, its  Parkers  and  its  Porters. 
You  had  your  Halls,  Yales,  Rices,  Mer- 
riams,  Atwaters,  Harts,  Couches  and 
Shaylors,  and  many  another  patriotic 
martyr,  who  in  his  own  day  and  gen- 
eration, gave  the  best  that  was 
in  him  for  home  and  country.  In  en- 
during bronze  the  name  of  each  of 
the  113  men  who  went  from  this  local- 
ity to  fill  his  own  particular  niche  in 
the  epoch-making  days  of  1776  will  for 
decades  to  come  serve  to  indicate  to  fu- 
ture generations  something  of  the  splen- 
did story  of  the  valor  and  sacrifices  of 
Meriden's  Revolutionary  heroes.  This 
memorial  should  stand  for  something 
in    this   community.        The   story   which 


152 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


we  read  between  the  lines  suggests 
only  that  which  was  fine  and  noble, 
helpful  and  progressive  in  the  lives  of 
men  who  once  walked  these  streets. 
They  are  long  since  dead  to  this  world. 

"Their     bones     are     dust,     their     good 

swords    rust, 
Their    souls    are    with    the    Lord    we 

trust." 

But  to-day  they  are  speaking  to  us 
through  the  undying  influence  of  their 
valorous  lives. 

This  beautiful  and  significant  tablet 
is  the  gift  of  an  organization  of  rep- 
resentative women,  each  one  of  whom 
is  a  lineal  descendant  of  a  Revolu- 
tionary sire,  and  each  one  is  pledged 
to  the  ideals  which  make  for  right- 
eousness, and  tend  to  elevate  homes 
and  country.  It  is  the  belief  of 
such  women  as  these  that  "A  people 
which  takes  no  pride  in  the  achievements 
of  remote  ancestors  will  never  achieve 
anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  by 
remote  descendants."  These  are  Ma- 
cauley's  words,  but  in  a  very  true  sense 
they  belong  to  the  creed  of  the  D.  A.  R. 
Therefore,  in  erecting  a  tablet  in  this 
city,  upon  which  is  graven  the  names 
of  Meriden's  Revolutionary  soldiers, 
the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke  chapter 
not  only  fulfills  its  unwritten  vow  to 
keep  green  the  memory  of  the  heroic 
dead  of  a  century  and  more  ago,  but 
it  honors  itself  and  the  splendid  or- 
ganization to  which  it  has  pledged  its 
allegiance,  and  its  name  will  pass  on 
into  history  as  one  worthy  of  remem- 
brance by  remote  descendants.  I 
bring  to  the  Susan  Carrington  Clarke 
chapter  the  thanks  of  sister  chapters 
throughout  the  state  for  having  so  suc- 
cessfully added  to  the  list  of  the  com- 
memorative achievements  of  the  Con- 
necticut Daughters,  and  I  am  happy  to 
testify  to  my  conviction  that  the  mem- 
bers of  this  chapter  have  amply  justi- 
fied their  birthright  to  that  most  hon- 
orable title  of  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican   Revolution. 

MR.   Curtis'   acceptance. 

In  accepting  the  tablet  in  behalf  of 
the  directors  of  the  library,  Mr.  Cur- 
tis said : 

It  is  a  beautiful  tribute  that  you  are 
paying  to  the  memory  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary  sons   of  the  parish  of  Meriden. 

On  imperishable  bronze,  in  letters  in- 
scribed   beneath    the    outstretched    hand 


of  the  genius  of  fame  bearing  the  palm 
branch  of  victory,  you  are  preserving 
the  names  of  those  men  who  served 
their  country  with  courage  and  devo- 
tion, of  those  who,  leaving  homes  and 
friends,  endured  with  fortitude  and 
patience  the  many  years  of  campaign 
and  privation,  and  when  the  war  was 
ended  and  the  victory  theirs,  like  the 
noble  Roman  of  old,  laid  down  their 
arms  and  returned  to  the  plow,  content 
to  have  done  their  duty,  and  proud  to 
have  served  their  country  when  danger 
was  great. 

I  have  browsed  so  long  among  the 
ancient  records,  that  these  men  seem 
like  old  friends.  By  day  and  by  night 
they  have  been  my  companions,  until 
I  have  scarce  known  whether  my 
morning  greetings  would  be  paid  to 
Capt.  John  Couch,  Capt.  Divan  Berry 
or  Lieut.  Joseph  Shaylor,  or  to  those 
whom  I  had  left  in  flesh  and  blood 
the  day  before.  That  their  names  are 
preserved  for  this  and  unborn  gener- 
ations in  a  manner  so  beautiful,  artis- 
tic, and  permanent,  is  a  fitting  memor- 
ial of  respect  and  admiration  from  you, 
who  have  done  so  much  to  keep  alive 
the  memory  of  the  historic  deeds  of  the 
fathers.  It  is  inspiring,  and  long  may  it 
preserve  its  power  to  kindle  in  3^outh 
and  manhood  that  love  of  country  and 
devotion  to  duty  which  is  the  highest 
civic  virtue  of  which  we  are  capable. 

Speaking  for  the  directors  of  the  li- 
brary, I  can  assure  you  that  we  esteem 
it  a  sacred  trust  that  v/e  are  to  be  the 
custodians  of  this  tribute  of  respect  and 
veneration.  It  will  grace  and  hallow 
our  walls,  and  will  always  have  our  un- 
bounded care  and  protection. 

There  is  one  man  on  this  roll  of  fame 
who  has  never  had  paid  to  him  the  jus- 
tice and  honor  he  deserves.  I  do  not 
disparage  that  gallant  officer,  Capt.  John 
Couch,  but  he  was  not  a  young  man 
when  hostilities  began,  and  he  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British  in  the  latter  part 
of  1776,  and  after  serving  some  months 
in  prison  his  vigor  seems  to  have  been 
impaired,  and  he  was  incapacitated  for 
military  duty  of  an  arduous  nature  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  war.  The  man  I  re- 
fer to  is  Lieut.  Joseph  Shaylor.  He 
began  his  service  at  the  time  of  the 
Lexington  alarm,  and  apparently  served 
almost  continuously  until  the  declara- 
tion of  peace  in  1783.  After  the  north- 
ern   campaign    of    1775.    under    General 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


153 


Schuyler,  Lieut.  Shaylor  was  taken  sick 
at  Putney,  Vt.,  and  among  the  ancient 
records  preserved  in  the  capitol  at  Hart- 
ford, I  hnd  his  bill  for  medical  attend- 
ance, lasting  sixteen  days ;  and  then  fol- 
lows the  item  for  hire  of  horse  and 
man  to  bring  him  home,  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety  miles,  at  a  to- 
tal expense  of  i6-i6s-i8d.  But  this  ex- 
perience did  not  quench  his  courage  for 
he  was  soon  on  duty  again,  valiant  and 
plucky  as  ever.  I  have  read  his  letter, 
under  date  of  Feb.  12,  1781,  written 
from  Constitution  Island,  near  West 
Point,  in  which,  with  a  thrill  of  enthus- 
iasm,  and   cheerful,   as   usual,   he   says : 

"I  arrived  safely  in  camp  in  four 
days  after  leaving  Meriden.  Camp  af- 
fairs are  as  usual,  all  hands  hearty.  We 
have  just  enough  to  keep  soul  and  body 
from  parting,  but  hope  for  good  times. 
Our  New  England  lines  have  done 
themselves  immortal  honor  in  bearing 
with  patience  those  inconveniences  for 
which  the  Southern  troops  have  revolt- 
ed, though  they  were  much  better  pro- 
vided than  our  line." 

He  was  in  the  battles  of  Long  Island 
and  White  Plains,  and  was  one  of  that 
picked  body  of  men  who  took  part  in 
the  storming  and  capturing  of  Stony 
Point  under  Mad  Anthou}-  Wayne,  on 
July  15,  1779,  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
exploits  during  the  war. 

His  record  was  stirring,  and  he  was 
recognized  as  daring  and  courageous, 
and  after  the  war  he  was  deemed  wor- 
thy of  admission  to  the  Order  of  the 
Cincinnati. 

Notwithstanding  his  long  and  ardu- 
ous experience  during  the  Revolution, 
his  military  ardor  was  not  quenched,  for 
as  captain  he  raised  a  company  in  this 
town  and  served  in  the  unhappy  General 
St.  Clair  expedition,  of  1781,  against 
the  Miami  Indians,  in  the  then  North- 
west territory,  and  his  son,  a  lad  of 
fifteen,  accompanied  him  on  the  expedi- 
tion. Several  of  the  Meriden  men  were 
killed,  and  the  poor  boy  was  slain  and 
scalped  by  the  Indians,  and  in  the  old 
Broad  street  cemetery  we  may  read  the 
inscription : 

"In   Memory   of 

Mr.    Joseph    Shaylor 

the   only   son   of 

Major  and  Mrs.  Rachel   Shaylor, 


who   was   slain   by   the   Indians   at   Fort 

Jefferson,  Feby.  11,  1792 

Aged    15 

His    surviving    Sisters    consecrate    this 

Inscription   to   his    IMemory." 

Major  Shaylor  settled  in  Ohio  at  the 
close  of  this  war,  and,  so  far  as  I 
know,  there  are  none  of  his  descendants 
now  living  in  Meriden.  Would  that 
some  of  them  were  present,  so  that  we 
might  pay  to  them  the  consideration 
and  honor  to  which  the  gallant  mili- 
tary service  of  Major  Shaylor  makes 
any  one  of  that  name  entitled. 

During  his  residence  in  Meriden  he 
was  a  part  owner  of  what  we  now  call 
Baldwin's  Alill,  then  known  as  Hough's 
and  his  home  was  on  Gravel  street,  a 
short  distance  south  of  Baldwin  avenue. 

Peace  to  his  ashes.  He  is  deserving 
of  our  praise  and  memory  to-day. 

After  the  acceptance  of  the  tablet 
by  Mr.  Curtis,  "America"  was  sung,  af- 
ter which  the  benediction  was  pro- 
nounced by  Rev.  A.  J.  Lord. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises 
many  went  to  the  library  to  view  the 
tablet  which  has  been  placed  on  the 
east  side  of  the  main  entrance. 


Last  October  the  members  of  Susan 
Carrington  Clarke  chapter  at  an  in- 
formal meeting  discussed  the  advisa- 
bility of  erecting  some  kind  of  a  me- 
morial to  the  men  of  the  parish  of  Mer- 
iden who  fought  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  It  was  the  opinion  of  all 
those  present  that  no  more  fitting  time 
could  be  selected  than  some  day  in  the 
week  when  Meriden  celebrated  her  Cen- 
tennial. The  idea  at  once  bore  fruit. 
Other  meetings  were  held  and  no  de- 
cision was  reached  as  to  the  form  of 
the  memorial,  whether  it  should  be  a 
shaft  or  a  boulder.  Finally  one  of  the 
members  offered  the  suggestion  that 
the  memorial  be  in  the  form  of  a  tab- 
let to  be  placed  in  the  Curtis  library. 
The  suggestion  was  immediately  ac- 
cepted and  the  committees  were  ap- 
pointed and  went  to  work  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  tablet  now  adorns  the  li- 
brary wall.  It  was  designed  by  Louis 
E.  Gudebrod.  a  Meriden  bo}-,  a  pupil 
of  St.  Gaudens.  and  was  cast  by  the 
John  Williams  company,  of  New  York. 


154 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


THIRTY-SEVENTH  SCHUETZENFEST  OF  THE 
SOUTHERN  N.  E.  SCHUETZENBUND 


The  thirty-seventh  schuetzenfest  of 
the  Southern  New  England  Schuetzen- 
bund  began  at  Schuetzen  park  in  the 
morning  with  a  large  attendance  and 
every  indication  of  being  recorded  as  an- 
other   Centennial    success. 

The  six  shooting  organizations  com- 
prising the  S.  N.  E.  bund  met  at  the 
station,  the  five  out-of-town  companies 
being  received  by  the  Meriden  Rifle  club. 
Shortly  after  9  o'clock  the  line  of  march 
was  formed  with  Gottlieb  Anschuetz,  of 
the  Meriden  club,  as  the  mounted  mar- 
shal and  a  short  parade  was  made  in 
the  following  order : 

Koscuiszko  Band,  Meriden. 
Company  I,  2nd  Regt.,  C.   N.   G.,   Cap- 
tain  G.   E.   Proudman. 
Independent  German  Rifle  club, 
New  Haven. 
Hartford  Schuetzen  Verein. 
Springfield  Rifle  Club. 
Taftville  Rifle   Club. 
Meriden   Fife   and    Drum   Corps. 
Meriden   Rifle   Club. 
Carriage      containing      Mayor      Reilly, 
Chairman  G.  M.  Curtis,  Select- 
man Miller  and  Town 
Clerk  Hess. 
Carriages    containing    ladies    of    the    S. 
N.  E.  and  other  guests. 

The  procession  went  from  State  to 
East  Main  street,  countermarching  at 
Willow,  to  Colony,  countermarching  at 
Washington,  to  West  Main,  to  Capitol 
avenue,  to  Steuben  street,  to  Schuetzen 
park. 

Arriving  at  the  park  Mayor  Reilly 
welcomed  the  members  of  the  bund  to 
Meriden,  referring  to  the  prominent 
part  the  German  organizations  were 
playing  in  the  Centennial  and  express- 
ing the  hope  that  the  aim  of  the  rifle- 
men at  the  target  of  good  fellowship 
and  good  citizenship  would  be  as  true 
as   at    the   targets   on   the    range. 

Chairman  Curtis  expressed  the  hope 
that  the  visit  to  Meriden  would  be  thor- 


oughly enjoyed  and  the  shooting  festi- 
val a  great  success. 

The  schuetzenfest  was  then  opened 
by  Mayor  Reilly  firing  the  first  shot  at 
the  Centennial  target  and  scoring  a 
bull's  eye,  as  did  Selectman  Miller  and 
Chairman  Curtis. 

The  shooting  at  the  nine  targets  then 
began  in  earnest  and  continued  all  day. 

Elaborate  preparations  had  been 
made  by  the  local  club  for  the  enter- 
taining of  the  visitors,  and  it  was  a 
most  enjoyable  time. 

The  make-np  of  the  clubs  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

Independent  German  Rifle  company, 
of  New  Haven — Chas.  H.  Halm,  cap- 
tain ;  Chas.  Koelle,  Herman  Schultz, 
Herman  Glas,  Harry  Young,  Charles 
Stelzie,  E.  Gerken,  Carl  Rosenthal, 
Fred.  Horn,  A.  H.  Donner,  Wm.  Kitt- 
ler,  Chas.  Scholl,  Otto  Ginz,  Henry 
Konold,  Chas.  Wirtz,  John  Oed,  Adam 
Uhl,    Louis    Uhl,    Fred    Reisinger. 

Hartford  Schuetzen  Verein — George 
Zimmer,  captain ;  J.  Sterl,  J.  Hunzirker, 
P.  Conrad,  H.  Oppermann,  C.  D.  Me- 
long,  Giis.  Buettner,  F.  Becher,  J.  Goetz, 
Ed  Clausen,  E  .A.  Claus,  Henry  Jan- 
sen,  Joe  Hammer,  Leo.  A.  Grzywacz, 
Ch  Winter,  Martin  Schmidt,  Chris  Vo- 
gol.  Otto   Sclmeider. 

Taftville  Rifle  club— Michael  Jacob, 
captain ;  Richard  Heller,  A.  Krodel,  A. 
Grimms,  A.  E.  Wriht,  John  IMurphy,  E. 
Madden. 

Springfield  Rifle  club— H.  Buchholz, 
captain ;  Wm.  Stock,  F.  C.  Ross,  J.  D. 
Anderson,  G.  Baer,  M.  Flosdorf 

New  Britain  Schuetzen  Verein — N.  J. 
Heidi,  captain;  W.  Heidi,  jr.,  F.  Zim- 
merman, Otto  Leopohl,  Geo  .Duer.  E. 
Mucke,  P.  R.  Vogclgesang,  Arthur  Valz, 
Geo.  Webber.  J.   Baumgartner. 

Meriden  Rifle  club — Ch.  Heckler,  cap- 
tain ;  John  Glassnap,  Robert  Philippi, 
Martin  Glassnap,  Chris.  Glassnap,  Emil 
H.  Kroeber,  Fritz  Langncr,  Max  Stro- 
bel,  H.  Winterhaldcr,  Aug.  Mever,  Fred 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


155 


Weber,  A.  Oefinger,  O.  Elster,  William 
Seery,  W.  D.  Palmer,  C.  G.  Havens, 
F.  Anschuetz,  F.  Yost,  C.  F.  Fox,  J. 
Kuntze,  W.  Corves,  jr.,  W.  Corves,  sr. 
Company  I,  in  khaki  uniform  present- 
ed a  business-like  appearance,  and  did 
the  escort  duty  in  a  most  soldierly  man- 
ner. 


EMIL  H.  KROEBER, 
Chairman   Schuetzenfest. 

All  of  the  targets  were  busy  and  the 
men  in  the  butts  did  not  have  an  idle 
moment  from  the  time  the  shoot  start- 
ed until  the  call  came  for  lunch.  Af- 
ter an  hour's  rest  the  shooting  was  re- 
sumed and  kept  up  during  the  day  and 
was  brought  to  a  close  Wednesday  night 
when  the  large  assortment  of  fine  prizes 
were  distributed  among  the  eager  ri- 
flemen and  women  shooters.  It  was 
late  in  the  evening  before  all  the  dele- 
gates were  ofif  the  grounds  and  on  their 
way   to   their   respective   homes. 

About  6 :30  p.  m.,  all  shooting  ceased 
and  by  direction  of  Captain  Chris  Heck- 
ler all  the  people  in  the  grove  formed 
a  grand  march  and  made  a  tour 
of  the  park  with  the  band  in  the 
lead,  returning  to  the  prize  booth  which 
they   surrounded. 


President  John  Glassnapp  spoke  a 
few  words  and  then  introduced  mem- 
bers of  the  schuetzenbund,  who  made 
eloquent  speeches  congratulating  espe- 
cially the  Meriden  Rifle  club  on  their 
generosity  and  hospitality.  Band  selec- 
tions followed  the  speeches  and  loud 
cheers  were  given  for  the  local  club. 

Charles  Johnson,  of  the  New  Britain 
club,  was  awarded  the  king  medal,  hav- 
ing made  the  best  score  at  the  target 
of  honor,  sixty-seven  out  of  a  possible 
seventy-five.  Miss  Rose  Anschuetz 
pinned  the  medal  on  Mr.  Johnson's  coat 
and  then  the  band  struck  up  a  tune. 

The  queen  medal  for  the  best  score  at 
the  ladies'  target  of  honor  was  awarded 
to  Mrs.  F.  M.  Zimmerman  of  New  Brit- 
aain,   who   had   a   score   of   seventv.     A. 


CHRIS  GLASSNAP, 
Schuetzenfest  Committee.    • 

R.  Cooley  of  Springfield  won  the  Au- 
brey shotgun  and  W.  B.  Hall,  of  New 
Britain,  the  tea  set.  Mrs.  Jacob  Sieebe, 
of  Hartford  and  Mrs.  John  Goetz,  of 
Hartford,  were  second  and  third  win- 
ners  in  the  queen  target. 

The  military  medals  were  hotly  con- 
tested for  by  members  of  the  local  mil- 
itia   and    the    results    were    as    follows : 


156 


CENTENNIAL    OP^    MERIDEN. 


Captain  H.  B.  Young,  of  New  Haven, 
first  prize  gold  medal ;  Captain  Joseph 
DeCantillon,  of  Company  L,  second 
prize,  gold  medal ;  Private  August  Lu- 
schinks,  Company  I,  third  prize,  silver 
medal,    Captain    George    E.    Proudman, 


get  and  it  took  considerable  time  for 
the  people  to  choose  them.  Almost 
every  one  secured  a  prize  and  went 
away  well  satisfied  with  the  two  days' 
outing.  The  next  schuetzenfest  will  be 
held    in   Taftville    in    1907. 


WINTHROP   HOTEL.   SHOWEXG   DECORATIONS. 


Company  I,  fourth  prize,  silver  medal ; 
Private  Ralph  Palmer,  silver  modal ; 
Sergeant  R.  W.  Babbitt,  Company  I. 
silver   medal. 

There  were  scores  of  prizes  for  both 
ladies  and  gentlemen  on  the  honor  tar- 


On  the  general  prize  target  which  was 
for  sweepstakes,  the  winners  were  M. 
Doerler,  $40;  Ered  Ross,  of  Springfield, 
$30;  H.  P.  Young,  New  Haven,  $25. 

Two  of  the  oldest  men  on  the  grounds 
and  the  most  enthusiastic  were  Captain 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


157 


Charles  Hechler  of  the  Meriden  Rifle 
club  and  A.  H.  Merriman.  The  former 
is  eighty-one  years  and  the  latter  ac- 
knowledged that  he  was  seventy-seven 
and  would  show  some  of  these  young 
fellows  how  to  shoot. 


HISTORY  OF  MERIDEN  RIFLE 
CLUB. 
Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war,  about  1865,  a  few  of  the  German 
residents  of  the  city  of  Meriden  met  and 
discussed  the  advisability  of  forming  a 
shooting  club.  Each  was,  in  a  measure, 
familiar  with  the  handling  of  rifles  and 
muskets.  They  were  Christopher  Han- 
del,  John   Theisen,   Christopher    Haaga, 


C.  F.  FOX, 
Schuetzenfest  Committee. 

August  Meyer,  Charles  Stockder,  Leo- 
pold Wolfe  and  Fred  Muntz.  The  idea 
at  once  met  with  favor.  The  Meriden 
Rifle  club  was  then  organized.  The 
first  president  was  Christopher  Handel, 
and  John  Theisen  was  the  secretary. 
Only  one  of  the  organizers  and  charter 
members  is  alive.  He  is  August  Meyer, 
and  he   is  as  active  as  a  ten-years-old 


boy,  and  would  put  the  believers  of  Dr. 
Osier   to   shame. 

Of  course,  at  the  start,  the  club  did 
not  amount  to  much.  It  was  new  and 
the  older  rifle  clubs  in  the  state  did  not 
pay  much  attention  to  it.  But  that  did 
not   last  long.     In   a   short  time  the  old 


JULIUS  KUNTZE, 
Schuetzenfest    Committee. 

fellows  began  to  sit  up  and  take  notice. 
Something  was  being  done  in  Meriden. 
Records  were  smashed  to  smithereens 
and  new  ones  made  by  the  youngster. 

The  first  range  the  club  had  was  at 
what  is  now  called  the  Peter  Kintz 
place,  located  on  the  South  Meriden 
road.  There  each  week  the  club  met 
for  practice.  For  a  year  they  did  not 
say  much,  but  sawed  a  lot  of  wood,  and 
in  the  meantime  became  more  profic- 
ient in  the  use  of  the  rifle.  The  club 
went  to  its  first  state  shoot  in  Bridge- 
port in  1867,  and  surprised  the  natives 
of  that  city  by  carrying  home  the  first 
prize.  That  was  the  time  when  the  old 
fellows  sat  up  and  looked  in  astonish- 
ment on  the  newcomers.  From  that 
time  to  the  present  they  have  been  reck- 
oned as  something  to  look  out  for  in 
the    shooting    line.        In    1869    the    club 


158 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN, 


made  a  record,  and  two  years  later  in 
New    Britain   got   another   first   prize. 

When  the  Meriden  Rifle  club  was  in- 
corporated there  were  twenty-five  men 
on  the  roster.  There  are  now  thirty- 
two  active  members,  and  all  of  them 
good  shots.     One  of  them  has  a  record 


CHRIS  HECKLER, 
Schuetzenfest  Veteran. 

that  has  never  been  beaten.  He  has 
made  a  score  of  74  out  of  a  possible 
75,  in  three  shots  at  200  yards,  and  no 
sighting  shots  allowed.  That  was  done 
in  1902. 

From  the  start  the  club  began  to 
prosper.  About  thirty  years  ago  the 
club  built  its  present  home  in  Schuet- 
zen  park,  near  the  shadows  of  the 
Hanging  hill,  to  the  west  of  the  city. 
Tt  has  an  excellent  range  and  a  most 
delightful  picnic  ground.  No  more 
ideal  spot  for  such  a  purpose  could  be 
found  in  the  state.  The  scenery  is 
magnificent  and  the  air  sublime.  No 
wonder  the  members  of  the  Meriden 
Rifle  club  make  such  good  scores.  A 
day's  loitering  even  about  the  grounds 
will  be  well  repaid  with  a  refreshing 
night's   sleep. 


As  has  been  said  before  there  are 
some  star  shots  in  the  Meriden  Rifle 
club.  First  and  foremost  is  Gottlieb 
.Anschuetz,  the  shooting  master.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to  this 
country  and  Meriden  twenty-seven  years 
ago.  Ever  since  he  was  able  to  toddle 
he  has  been  accustomed  to  the  hand- 
ling of  firearms,  and  at  present  is  a  con- 
tractor in  the  Parker  gun  shop.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  club  about 
twelve  years  ago,  and  at  the  start  be- 
gan to  make  records.  He  has  made  a 
score  on  an  inch  and  one-half  bullseye 
at  200  yards  that  has  never  been 
equalled.  In  1902,  in  three  shots,  he 
made  74  out  of  a  possible  75,  and  that, 
too,  without  a  sighting  shot.  At  the 
bund   shoot   in   Springfield   last  year   he 


GOTTLIEB    ANSCHUETZ. 
Marshal    Schuetzenfest   Parade 

made  the  highest  score  of  the   Meriden 
delegation,    58. 

Emil  H.  Kroeber  is  another  excel- 
lent shot.  He  can  pink  the  bullseye 
now  and  then  when  a  good  score  is 
wanted  to  carry  off  the  prize.  Mr. 
Kroeber  was  born  in  Saxony,  in  1872, 
and    vviien    he   was    a   child   his    parents 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


159 


removed  to  this  country,  going  to  Dal- 
ton  and  then  to  Pittsfield,  Mass.  The 
family  came  to  this  city  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  He  was  a 
glass  decorator  until  1891  when  he  be- 
icame  a  caterer,  in  which  business  he 
has  prospered.  He  is  held  in  the  high- 
est esteem  by  his  fellow  associates  and 
the   people   of   the   city. 

John  E.  Glasnapp  is  the  president  of 
the  Meriden  Rifle  club.  He  has  held 
that  office  for  the  past  eight  years,  off 
and  on,  and  was  elected  for  a  term  in 
1901.  So  well  has  he  presided  over  the 
'destinies  of  the  club  that  since  then, 
year  from  year,  he  has  been  returned 
to  the  chair.  He  came  to  Meriden  in 
1876  and  ten  years  later  he  joined  the 
Meriden  Rifle  club.  In  that  short  time 
he  has  won  two  medals  and  this  year 
he  will  be  the  shooting  king.  This 
year,  in  accordance  to  the  rule  that 
prevails  among  the  German  shooting 
societies,  he  is  the  president  of  the 
Southern  New  England  Schuetzen- 
bund. 

The  oldest  member  of  the  Meriden 
Rifle  club  is  Christian  Hechler.  The 
age  applies  in  the  point  of  years,  not 
in  the  membership  of  the  club.  He  is 
eighty-one  years  old,  and,  truth  to  say, 
he  does  not  look  as  though  he  had 
passed  the  Biblical  allotment  of  three 
score  and  ten,  or  anywhere  near  that 
number.  Wurtemburg,  Germany,  is  the 
place  of  his  nativity.  He  is  a  veteran 
of  many  wars  in  which  he  fought  un- 
der the  flag  of  the  Hohenzollerns  and 
not  content  with  that  record  he  had  to 
make  a  new  one  in  the  Civil  war.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  1854  and  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Sixth  C.  V.,  and 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service  on 
September  20,  1864.  Captain  Hechler 
came  to  Meriden  in  IMarch,  1858,  and 
has   resided  here  ever  since. 


August  Meyer,  the  quartermaster  of 
the  Meriden  Rifle  club,  is  the  only  sur- 
viving charter  member  of  that  organi- 
zation. He  was  born  in  Germany  and 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Meri- 
den, of  course.  He  went  to  New 
Britain  for  a  while,  and  then  came 
back  to  this  city,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  E.  Miller  &  Co.  and  has 
been    with    that   concern    ever    since. 


One  of  the  most  enthusiastic  mem- 
bers of  the  Meriden  Rifle  club  for  the 
success  of  the  schuetzenfest  is  Andrew 
Oefinger.  He  is  one  of  the  committee 
of  arrangements  and  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  present  has  been  most  ac- 
tive in  pushing  the  shootfest  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  in  1877  he  chose  Meriden  as 
his  home.  Mr.  Oefinger  is  one  of  the 
best  shots  in  the  club  and  will  be  on  the 
team  this  year.  For  the  past  fifteen 
years  he  has  been  employed  in  the  fac- 
tory of  the  Miller  Bros.  Cutlery  com- 
pany. 


William  H.  Seery,  the  ex-chief  of  the 
Meriden  fire  department,  is  too  well 
known  to  the  people  of  this  city  for  any 
extended  comment,  as  he  says.  He  is 
not  so  old  as  some  people  might  think. 
It  is  when  he  picks  up  a  rifle  that  he 
shows  he  is  just  as  young  as  the  rest 
of  them.  At  the  fest  in  July  6-7,  1903, 
he  won  the  title  of  shooting  king,  some- 
thing that  is  not  to  be  sneezed  at. 


The  secretary  of  the  Meriden  Rifle 
club  is  Robert  Phillippi.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  where,  indeed,  they  teach 
the  young  to  shoot,  and  in  a  short  time 
after  his  arrival  in  this  city  he  joined 
the  Meriden  Rifle  club.  He  has  made  a 
few  records  but  since  the  time  he  was 
elected  to  the  secretaryship  of  the  club 
he  has  not  had  the  time  to  devote  to 
the  practice.  Time  after  time  he  has 
been  elected  to  his  present  position  and 
from  all  appearances  it  looks  as  though 
he  will  die  in  the  harness.  He  is  a 
good  man  and  the  club  does  not  intend 
to  lose  him. 


Julius  Kuntze,  the  cigar  manufactur- 
er on  East  Main  street,  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  members  of  the  club.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1858  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  i88r.  He  lo- 
cated in  New  York  for  a  short  while 
and  then  went  to  Cincinnati.  After  a 
few  years  in  the  west  he  came  east 
and  worked  at  his  trade  as  cigarmaker 
in  New  Haven.  Since  1893  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Meriden  where  he  has  es- 
tablished an  excellent  business.  Mr. 
Kuntze  has  been  a  member  of  the  Rifle 
club  for  the  past  six  years  and  in  that 
time    has    made    some    good    scores. 


i6o 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


There  is  one  person  who  is  connected 
in  a  way  with  the  Rifle  club  who  should 
not  be  overlooked  and  that  is  Mrs. 
Emil  Kroeber.  She  is  no  novice  in  the 
use  of  the  rifle.  She  now  holds  the 
title  of  queen  shot  as  at  the  shoot  in 
Springfield  last  year  she  made  seventy- 
one  out  of  a  possible  seventy-five. 


Chris.  F.  Fox  is  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Meriden  Rifle  club  and  has  won 
several  medals.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1861  and  when  he  was  four- 
teen years  old  he  came  with  his  pa- 
rents to  this  country.  He  came  to  Mer- 
iden in  1889  and  from  that  time  has  con- 


ducted a  very  successful  business.  He 
is  a  Mason  of  high  degree,  being  a 
member  of  Pyramid  Temple,  Mystic 
Shrine,    of    Bridgeport. 


One  of  the  best  shots  of  the  Meriden 
Rifle  club  is  Christopher  Glasnapp.  Al- 
though a  young  man  he  has  won  two 
medals.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1874  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  club 
for  the  past  ten  years.  He  is  now  the 
possessor  of  the  gold  medal,  his  score 
being  127  and  128  in  six  shots.  At  a 
recent  practice  shoot  he  made  six  bulls 
eves    in    succession. 


GUY    RESIDENCE,    SHOWING    DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


l6l 


Wednesday,  June  13 — Labor  Day 


While  this  was  officially  designated  as 
Labor  Day  in  the  programme  still  the 
Grand  Army  encampment  and  the 
Schuetzenfest,  as  well  as  the  other  fea- 
tures, were  things  of  much  importance. 
The  crowds  of  the  day  were  even  great- 
er than  those  of  yesterday,  as  yester- 
day's thousands  outnumbered  those  of 
the  day  before.  It  was  like  Carnival 
time  in  Venice  or  Mardi  Gras  in  New 
Orleans,  with  all  the  jollity,  the  crowds 
and  the  good  humor  of  these  great  gath- 
erings. At  night  dense  crowds  surged 
along  the  walks  in  such  a  press  that 
if  one  wished  to  move  beyond  a  slow 
walk  he  had  to  take  to  the  street.  The 
bandinage,  the  confetti  and  the  little 
ticklers  or  dusters  furnished  unending 
enjoyment  for  the  thousands  who  kept 
up  the  procession  until  late  into  the 
night. 

To-day  the  outside  crowds  that  had 
swelled  yesterday's  population  came 
back  for  another  good  time  and  they 
brought  others  with  them  from  all  parts 
of  the  state  and  even  Massachusetts  and 
Rhode  Island  being  well  represented. 
The  police  arrangements  were  perfect, 
as  was  every  single  detail  for  the  great 
celebration  and  there  was  no  hitch  in 
any  department. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  variety  of 
amusements ;  the  labor  celebration  at 
Terrace  Garden  with  fireworks,  the 
Centennial  concert,  the  fireworks  up- 
town, the  Midway,  the  street  fairs  and 
the  various  other  things  which  made  up 
a  great   day. 

Ideal  Labor  day  weather,  with  all  its 
autumnal  invigorating  accompaniments, 
was  what  greeted  the  labor  unions  for 
their  big  parade  and  picnic.  In  fact, 
the  perfect  weather  conditions  which 
ushered  in  the  morning's  programme 
were  but  a  continuation  of  what  had 
prevailed  since  the  Centennial  opened 
its   secular  festivities  on  Mondav. 

Many  of  the  labor  men  were  active 
bright  and  early  and  the  beautiful 
weather  had  an  inspiring  effect  on  the 

II 


general  committee,  who  had  been  all 
wrapped  up  in  the  day's  celebration  for 
many  a  week.  It  recalled  the  old-time 
Labor  day  demonstrations  in  Meriden 
when  the  parade  was  such  a  prominent 
feature  and  everybody  made  it  a  holi- 
day. The  contrast,,  too,  from  the  pa- 
rades held  previously  during  the  week 
was  rather  striking. 

Countless  surprises  were  sprung 
when  the  floats  began  to  move  towards 
the  starting  point  at  City  park.  Some 
of  them  showed  most  artistic  design 
and  workmanship,  besides  being  highly 
appropriate  for  the  occasion,  and  they 
gave  the  parade  a  very  unique  appear- 
ance. The  uniforms  for  the  most  part 
were  characteristic  of  the  trades  repre- 
sented, so  that  all  in  all  it  was  truly  a 
labor  day  parade  in  its  full  significance. 

Prominent  among  the  floats  was  that 
of  the  H.  Wales  Lines  company,  de- 
signed by  L.  C.  Hiller,  of  Wallingford, 
formerly  designer  for  the  Meriden  Sil- 
ver Plate  company.  It  was  built  on  one 
of  the  company's  large  wagons,  drawn 
by  four  gray  horses,  and  represented 
archways,  with  a  brick  chimney  in 
course  of  erection.  Ben.  Robinson,  an 
old  employe  of  the  Lines  company,  and 
wearing  one  of  Mr.  Lines'  broad  hats, 
was  at  work,  trowel  in  hand,  and  close 
beside  him  were  a  mortar  bed  and  ma- 
son's helper.  The  figures  1864  and  1906 
were  in  large  characters,  and  on  either 
side  was  the  inscription :  "Have  not 
missed  a  weekly  pay  roll  in  42  years." 

Probably  the  most  unique  float  in  the 
procession  was  that  of  R.  P.  Dooley, 
following  the  Carpenters  and  Joiners' 
union.  It  represented  the  four  seasons, 
spring,  summer,  autumn  and  winter,  and 
thirteen  little  girls  in  costumes  appro- 
priate to  the  different  seasons  and  also 
representing  the  thirten  original  colonies 
were  seated  in  the  float  and  a  frequent 
refrain  of  the  young  vocalists  was  "Mr. 
Dooley,"  the  song  that  everybody  used 
to  sing  at  one  time.  The  display  of 
stuffed   birds   and    animals   was   all    the 


l62 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


handiwork  of  Mr.  Dooley,  and  repre- 
sented weeks  of  time  in  getting  it  to- 
gether. 

James  Kane  also  had  a  big  float  in 
line,  immediately  following  the  Brick- 
layers and  Masons'  union.  The  in- 
scription, which  occupied  a  conspicuous 
place,  was : 


A.  P.  DUSSIN, 
Chairman    General    Committee. 

"Meriden's  champion,  James  Kane, 
for  a  wager  laid  3,500  bricks  in  five 
hours  and  thirty-five  minutes,  on  an 
eight-inch  wall,  July  26,  1886.  at 
Bridgeport,    Conn." 

The  Cigar  Makers'  union  had  an  at- 
tractive float,  giving  a  cut  of  the 
union's  label  and  containing  a  number 
of   the    union's   mottoes. 

The  John  F.  Butler  company's  float 
represented  a  Roman  architectural  de- 
sign, brought  down  to  modern  times, 
and  it  attracted  a  good  deal  of  atten- 
tion. 

To  the  Carpenters  and  Joiners'  union 
is  the  credit  due  for  having  the  largest 
number  of  floats,  representing  any  one 
trade  in  the  procession  and  there  were 
some  pretty  ones,  notably  those  of 
Morehouse    Bros.,   with    men    at    work : 


M.  Charest,  with  a  joiner  shop  and 
part  of  a  blacksmith  shop  "in  operation ; 
M.  F.  Fitzgerald,  decorated  wagon  with 
ten  little  girls  in  white;  W  Lanoue, 
house  in  miniature;  W  F.  Miller,  Z. 
J.  St.  Cyr,  A.  J.  Lyman  and  Garry 
Bloomfield,  all  with  decorated  wagons 
and  trade  designs. 

Next  to  the  master  carpenters  and 
joiners,  in  point  of  numbers  with  floats, 
were  the  master  painters  and  decorat- 
ors. Besides  the  Butler  company.  Lit- 
tle, Somers  &  Hyatt  had  a  fine  dis- 
play, with  Artie  Harris  impersonating 
Uncle  Sam,  surrounded  by  a  number 
of  Columbia's  daughters.  Flynn's  float 
was  another  that  showed  the  artistic 
skill  of  painter  in  design  and  finish. 
The  group  of  little  boys  in  white, 
showy    uniforms    was    a    distinguishing 


\y.   V.   LANGE, 
Secretary    General    Committee. 

feature.     J.  Lacourciere  was  also  in  line 
with    a   decorated    wagon. 

There  were  likewise  a  large  number 
of  hacks  in  line,  containing  in  some 
cases  representatives  of  local  unions, 
who  were  unable  to  turn  out  in  a  body 
and      also      delegations      from      outside 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


163 


unions.  Many  of  the  out  of  town 
union  men  fell  right  in  with  the  other 
crafts  to  which  they  were  affiliated 
Every  one  of  the  twenty-three  organi- 
zations making  up  the  Central  Labor 
union  was  in  some  way  represented 
in  the  parade. 


GEORGE   J.    STANLEY, 
Marshal   and  Treasurer. 

Prominent  among  the  visitors  were 
the  Danbury  hatters,  200  representa- 
tives of  the  different  branches  of  the 
union  being  in  line  and  making  a  most 
creditable  appearance.  In  addition 
there  were  twelve  delegates  from  the 
Central  Labor  union,  bartenders  and 
other  union  representatives,  so  that 
Danbury  will  surely  be  in  high  feather 
with  Meriden  labor  unions  for  all 
times   to   come. 

THE  PARADE  STARTS. 

The  delay  in  starting  the  parade  was 
due  to  the  arrival  of  the  Danbury  vis- 
itors on  the  10 :20  train.  The  time  had 
been  arranged  for  10 :30  but  it  was 
11:15  before  the  column  began  to  move. 
Most  of  the  unions  had  their  positions 
around  City  park  before  the  Danbury 
men    were   escorted   to   the    rendezvous. 


The  parade  was  made  up  in  the  fol- 
lowing  order : 

Grand  Marshal,  G.  J.  Stanley. 

Police    escort. 

Meriden  Military  band,  T.  H.  Ma- 
guire,  leader. 

Carpenters  and  Joiners,  George 
Wiggins,*  marshal,    120    men. 

Floats — R.  P.  Dooley,  Morehouse 
Bros.,  M.  Charest,  W.  Lanoue,  W.  F. 
Miller,  M.  F.  Fitzgerald,  Z.  J.  St.  Cyr, 
A.   J.    Lyman,   Garry   Bloomfield. 

Painters  and  decorators,  Fred  Gol- 
nick,  marshal,   155   men. 

Floats— John  F.  Butler  Co.,  Little, 
Somers  &  Hyatt,  G.  H.  Flynn,  J.  La- 
courciere. 

Meriden  plumbers,  J.  J.  Liddy,  mar- 
shal,  50  men. 


H.    C.    KLEIX, 
General    Financial    Secretary. 

New    Haven    plumbers.    25    members. 

Pulaski  Drum  corps. 

Bricklayers  and  Masons,  R.  F.  Mor- 
rissey.    marshal,    80   men. 

Floats— James  Kane,  H.  Wales  Lines 
Co. 

Building  Laborers,  Frank  Stevens, 
marshal.  75  men. 


164 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Electrical  Workers,  J.  Richardson, 
marshal,  35  men ;  S.  N.  E.  Telephone 
company's    decorated    wagon. 

Sheet  Metal  Workers,  twenty  mem- 
bers  in   full   conveyance. 

Slate    Roofers    in    team. 

Meriden  City  band,  John  Fearnley, 
leader.  • 


MAURICE  SULLIVAN. 
Recording    Secretary    C.    L.    U. 

Cigar  Makers,  Julius  Stremlau,  mar- 
shal, 35  men. 

Float — Union  label,  decorated  wagon. 

Grinders,  Edward  White,  marshal,  30 
men. 

Typographical  union,  members  and 
visitors    in    carriages. 

Buffers  and  Polishers,  Wallingford 
union,  J.    F.   Kenney,   marshal,   75   men. 

Meriden  union,  J.  F.  Madden,  mar- 
shal,  150  men. 

Bartenders'  union,  Meriden,  Danbury, 
Hartford,  Waterbury,  Middletown, 
New  Britain  and  Willimantic  represen- 
tatives   in    carriages. 

Butchers'  clerks,  officers  in  carriages. 

Barbers,  visiting  delegates  in  car- 
riages. 

Brewery  workers,  M.  Kelly,  marshal, 
25  men. 


Brewery        company's        four      horse 
wagon. 

Printing   Pressmen,   W.   H.   Marshall, 
mounted   marshal,   visitors   in   carriages. 
Meriden  Fife  and  Drum  Band. 
Iron   Molders. 
Dennis    Costello,    Marshal,    125    Men. 
Bakers    in    Carriages. 
Retail  Clerks  in  Carriages. 
Kennedy    Drum    Corps,    Danbury. 
Danbury    Hatters. 
Capt.   Simon   Blake,  Marshal,  200  Men. 
With  the  formation  of  the  parade  on 
Camp  and   Franklin  streets,   the   line  of 
march  was  to  Center,  to  Pratt,  to  Cat- 
lin,  to  East   Main,  to  Colony,  to   Camp, 
countermarch   to   West   Main,  to   North 
First,   to    Hanover,   to   Terrace   Garden, 
where  the  picnic  was  promplty  inaugu- 
rated   to    be    continued     well     into     the 
night. 


'  'l^"     ■  "7..  H,/",,-iil"l'l:  ',-■,  I'/f-fi/ 


FRANK  K.  FOSTER, 
Orator  Labor. 

MAYOR     REILLY     SPEAKS. 

The  garden  was  comfortably  crowded 
in  the  afternoon  about  2  o'clock  when 
Mayor  Reilly  formally  opened  the  pic- 
nic   with    the    following    address : 

After  extending  a  welcome  to  labor 
men  in  behalf  of  the  city,  Aiayor  Reil- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


165 


ley  said  that  it  was  most  appropriate 
that  organized  labor  should  take  the 
prominent  part  it  has  taken  in  the  Cen- 
tennial, for  the  Centennial  was  a 
graphic  object  lesson  of  what  organized 
labor    meant. 

"If    the    labor    connected    with    this 
Centennial  had  not  been  organized  and 


F.  SCHEURER, 
Chairman    Picnic   Committee. 

well  organized,  there  would  have  been 
no  Centennial  to  bring  you  together  to- 
day," he  said,  "everything  would  have 
been  in  a  chaotic  state,  and  in  the  end 
nothing  would  have  been  accomplished. 
Those  supposed  to  have  charge  of  cer- 
tain things  would  be  working  at  cross 
purposes  and  all  would  be  confusion. 
It  was  only  by  organizing  the  affair 
thoroughly,  having  the  details  carefulh" 
attended  to,  and  having  it  under  com- 
petent officials  that  the  whole  proposi- 
tion has  been  brought  to  a  successful 
issue. 

"So  it  is  with  any  matter  involving 
labor.  There  must  be  organization  or 
there  will  be  nothing  accomplished. 
What  applies  to  big  undertakings  or 
special  occasions  applies  to  labor  in  the 


industrial  world.  To  be  effective,  to 
obtain  the  best  results,  for  itself  and 
those  in  any  way  connected  with  it, 
there  must  be  thorough  organization 
and  efficient  and  honest  management. 
This  lesson  of  the  Meriden  Centennial 
should   not  be  lost. 

"It  is  most  proper,  too,  that  the  labor 
unions  of  Meriden  should  be  identitied 
so  prominently  with  the  celebration  as 
it  is  identified  to-day,  for  it  is  to  labor, 
associated  with  capital,  that  Meriden 
owes  its  life  as  a  flourishing  industrial 
community;  for  few  cities  have  less 
natural  facilities  for  growth  than  our 
hill  encircled  home.  It  is  the  co-oper- 
ation of  labor  with  capital  that  has 
made  Meriden  worthy  of  celebrating  its 
Centennial.        Mav     the     good     feeling 


ALEX  HART, 
Chairman   Music    Committee. 

now  existing  continue,  and  may  the  let- 
ters on  your  banner  (C.  L.  U.),  mean 
not  only  Central  Labor  Union,  but 
Central   Labor   Unit}'." 

STATE     president's     ADDRESS. 

President  Charles  F.  Donahue,  of  the 
State    Federation    of    Labor,    was    next 


i66 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


introduced  by  President  Albert  Dos- 
sin   of   the   Central    Labor   Union. 

He  spoke  for  about  ten  minutes  on 
the  condition  of  labor  at  the  present 
time   as  compared  with    loo  years  ago. 

He  dwelt  at  some  length  on  legisla- 
tive  conditions    and   the   difficulty   labor 


General  Assembly  out  of  a  membership 
of  255,  which  showed,  said  the  speak- 
er, the  disadvantages  the  labor  people 
have  to  contend   with. 

President  Donahue  spoke  of  the  la- 
bor laws  in  the  other  states  and  the 
advantages     the      working     people     of 


BUECIILER  BLOCK,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


men  have  in  obtaining  favor,  as  out  of 
the  128  towns  in  Connecticut,  Mr.  Don- 
ahue said  that  about  forty  of  them  were 
manufacturing  towns  where  ninety  per 
cent,  of  the  people  of  the  state  reside 
and  those  towns  have  only  eighty  rep- 
resentatives in  the  lower   house  of  the 


Massachusetts  had  over  their  Connec- 
ticut brethren  in  the  courts  on  damage 
suits. 

The  speaker  said  that  the  legislative 
committee  propose  to  work  harder  than 
ever  to  have  the  labor  laws  of  Connec- 
ticut   brought    up    to    the    standard    of 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


167 


other  states  during  he  nex  General  As- 
sembly. 


K.     FOSTER  S     ADDRESS. 


The  principal  speaker  of  the  after- 
noon was  Frank  K.  Foster,  of  Boston, 
whose  subject  was:  "Trade  Unions,  in 
Their  Civil  Relationship,"  and  his  ad- 
dress   was    as    follows : 


O.  R.  BRANDENBERGER, 
President    Typographical. 

"The  citizens  of  your  thriving  and 
beautiful  city  are  to  be  congratulated 
upon  the  civic  good  sense  displayed  by 
them  in  inviting  the  organizations  of 
labor  to  join  in  this  celebration.  Es- 
pecially is  this  true  at  this  period,  when 
certain  misguided  people,  under  the 
baleful  influence  of  the  Citizens'  Alli- 
ance, are  advocating  a  policy  of  hos- 
tility and  repression  towards  the  ef- 
forts of  associated  labor.  There  is 
nothing  more  hostile  to  our  American 
conception  of  democracy  than  the  at- 
tempt to  arouse  an  embittered  class 
feeling  whether  it  emanates  from  men 
like  Parry  or  Post  or  from  those  in 
the  ranks  of  labor  who  declaim  against 
all  property  rights  and  property  hold- 
ers. 


"There  is  surely  no  portion  of  any 
community  having  naturally  a  deeper 
concern  as  to  all  that  goes  to  make  up 
its  general  welfare  than  the  men  who 
live  by  selling  their  daily  labor  for 
daily  bread.  The  workman  is  more 
than  any  one  else  dependent  for  the 
comfort  of  himself  and  family  upon  the 
nature  of  the  civic  administration  un- 
der   which    he    lives. 

"A  rich  man  can  send  his  children 
to  private  schools,  but  the  eductaion  ot 
the  poor  man's  child  rests  with  the  pub- 
lic institutions  of  learning,  for  which 
your  state  has  been  so  long  and  justly 
renowned. 

"The  rich  man  can  hire  attendants  to 
look  after  his  personal  safety ;  an  ef- 
ficient police  is  essential  for  the  secur- 
ity   of    the    workman's    family. 

"The  rich  man's  family  may  spend 
the   time   abroad   or   at   fashionable    re- 


H.  C.  MAYDWELL, 
Secretary  Typographical. 

sorts  in  his  own  land,  but  the  family 
of  the  workman  lives  in  the  commun- 
ity the  year  around  and  the  purity  of 
the  water  supply,  the  facilities  of  trans- 
portation, the  cleanliness  and  lighting 
of  the  streets,  the  quality  of  the  public 


i68 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


institutions  and  a  hundred  and  one  oth- 
er details  thus  become  a  matter  of 
greater  personal  moment  to  those 
whose  entire  exisence  is  expended 
among   them. 

"So,  also,  no  one  is  more  affected  by 
an    extravagant    or    inefficient    adminis- 


R.    F.    ^lORRlSSEY. 
President    Bricklayers    &    Masons. 

istration  than  the  man  of  limited 
means.  If  the  public  money  is  squan- 
dered and  the  tax  rate  increased  he 
ultimately,  by  increased  rents  and  costs 
of  living,  has  to  bear  the  largest  por- 
tion  of   the   burden. 

"But  if  this  concern  of  the  manual 
laborer  and  responsibility  for  the  civic 
well-being  is  apparent,  it  is  equally 
evident  that  so  is  his  caim  for  recogni- 
tion as  an  honorable  factor  in  all  that 
goes  to  make  up  a  city's  greatness — 
its  enterprise,  its  development,  its  his- 
tory. As  it  was  said  of  ancient  Ath- 
ens, not  her  walls  but  her  men  con- 
stituted her  real  defences,  so  it  may  be 
said  to-day  that  the  real  glory  of  a 
city  consists  not  merely  in  its  busy 
mills  and  marts  of  trade,  its  fine  build- 
ings and  palatial  residences,  but  in  the 
standard  of  life  reached  by  the  masses 
within   its   gates. 


"  "Cloud-capped  palaces  and  solemn 
temples,'  splendid  architecture  and 
beautif'il  works  of  art,  have  existed 
in  all  ages,  side  by  side  with  the  mis- 
erable dwellings  of  the  poor.  Even 
the  republics  of  old  time  were  erected 
on  a  foundation  of  slaves.  It  has  re- 
mained for  our  own  age,  under  the  in- 
spiration of  free  institutions  and  free 
men,  to  lift  up  the  level  of  life  of  the 
industrious  poor  and  to  give  oppor- 
tunity to  all. 

"And  this  brings  us  to  the  consider- 
ation of  the  part  played  by  the  asso- 
ciations of  labor  in  the  improvement 
of  social  and  industrial  conditions. 
With  all  due  and  proper  estimate  of 
all  other  influences  which  have  worked 
together  to  this  end,  it  must  be  con- 
ceded that  the  trade  union  has  been 
a  poent  and  powerful  agent  in  securing 


CHARLES  M.  NELLIS, 
President   Barbers'. 

material    and     moral     benefits     to    the 
wage-earner. 

"The  last  half  century,  even  the  past 
few  years,  has  worked  a  marvelous 
change  in  the  way  the  organization  of 
labor  is  regarded  by  enlightened  com- 
munities.    I  have  just  been  reading  the 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


169 


new  work  of  George  Howell,  one  of 
the  British  trade  union  pioneers,  upon 
the  early  history  of  the  movement,  raid 
in  America,  as  in  Great  Britain,  the 
early  unions  suffered  prosecution  and 
gross  injustice.  One  instance  of  this 
in    particular,    stands    out    vividly    in    a 


TOMMASO   D.  BUONO. 
Secretary  Barbers'. 

long  line  of  similar  cases,  i.  e.,  where 
seven  laborers  in  Dorchester,  England, 
were  transported  as  criminals  upon  no 
other  charge  than  that  they  had  or- 
ganized themselves  into  a  society  for 
their  mutual  protection.  That  era 
would  surely  have  been  a  gladsome 
time  for  our  friends  of  the  Citizens'  al- 
liance. 

"But  the  trade  union  is  as  much  an 
organic  growth  as  any  other  social  in- 
stitution and  it  has  come  to  stay.  Over 
seven  millions  of  English  speaking  peo- 
ple now  carry  trade  union  cards.  The 
union  is  now  not  alone  conceded  to  be 
morally  justified. 

"We  do  not  assert  that  all  these  or- 
ganizations are  always  conducted  with 
the  greatest  wisdom  or  that  the  union 
leaders   do   not  make   mistakes,    for   all 


human  institutions  are  fallible  and  all 
men  liable  to  err,  but  we  do  claim  that 
for  honesty  of  motive,  loftiness  of  pur- 
pose and  power  of  conferring  benetits, 
the ,  trade  union  movement  has  few 
peers  and  no  superiors  among  the  as- 
sociations   of    mankind.   , 

"The  state  of  Connecticut  has  ever 
occupied  a  foremost  position  among 
the  American  commonwealths.  Its 
early  conception  was  broad  and  liberal, 
less  theocratic  than  that  of  the  other 
New  England  colonies.  Her  institu- 
tions were  democratic,  her  citizenship 
intelligent,  her  mechanics  unexcelled 
in  skill,  her  patriots  numerous  and  high 
minded.  The  land  of  the  judicious 
Hooker  and  the  wise  Wolcott  may 
well  continue  to  develop  along  tolerant 
lines.  No  reactionary  policy  should  be 
able  to  take  root  here  as  to  the  great 
industrial  problem  which  looms  upon 
the    horizon." 


JOSEPH   M'VEIGH, 
President   Building  Laborers'. 

HISTORY    OF    MERIDEN    LABOR 
UNIONS. 

Meriden  has  for  over  twenty  years 
been  considered  one  of  the  strongest 
labor  union  cities  in  Connecticut,  and 
the  organizations  were  never  on  a  more 


170 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


solid  basis  or  more  widely  distributed 
among  the  workingmen  of  various 
crafts  than  at  the  present  time.  Every 
union  in  the  city  is  affiliated  with  the 
Central  Labor  Union,  and  the  twenty- 
three  locals  represented  in  the  parade, 
vied  with  one  another  for  some  time  in 
making  the  Centennial  Labor  demon- 
stration an  important  event  of  the 
week. 


cient  young  chairman  and  president  of 
the  Central  Labor  union,  Albert  P.  Dos- 
sin,  as  well  as  every  member  of  the 
committee. 

THE    GENERAL    COMMITTEE. 

The  following  is  the  efficient  list  of 
officers  and  delegates  of  the  various 
unions  making  up  the  above  committee. 

A.  P.  Dossin,  chairman;  Joseph  Tra- 


JOURNAL  OFFICE,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


On  the  general  committee,  made  up 
of  delegates  to  the  central  body,  were 
the  recognized  hustlers  of  the  local 
unions,  and  on  them  devolved  the  ar- 
duous task  of  arranging  all  the  de- 
tails in  connection  with  the  parade  and 
picnic.  The  thorough  manner  in  which 
they  have  performed  their  duties  re- 
flected   volumes    of   praise    on    the    effi- 


han,  vice-chairman ;  W.  F.  Lange.  sec- 
retary: George  J.  Stanley,  treasurer;  H. 
C.  Klein  financial  secretary;  F.  Scheur- 
er,  Vendal  Stumpf.  Maurice  Sullivan, 
Ed.  N.  White,  William  Wass.  William 
McCarthy.  John  Cody,  Alex.  Hart,  Wil- 
liam Gannon,  John  ]\Iadden,  Joseph  Mc- 
Veigh, Peter  Lyman,  John  J.  Morris- 
sey,  Martin  Nill,  Charles  Murphj',  Wil- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


171 


Ham  Fitzgerald,  Charles  Nellis,  George 
Gallon,  Charles  Arnold,  John  Nash,  R. 
P.  Ditman,  J.  B.  Dunlop,  George  Smith, 
P.  H.  McLaughlin,  P.  F.  Smith,  T.  F. 
Sullivan,  C.  G.  Havens,  Joseph  Heck, 
Fred.  Penfield,  H.  W.  Sehl,  Jr.,  W.  The- 
bo,  Charles  Stremlau,  Eugene  Shea, 
Frank   McNabb. 


STEPHEN  DOLAN. 
President  Carpenters'  &  Joiners'. 

SUB-COMMITTEES. 

The  General  committee  .-were  sub- 
divided  as   follows : 

Souvenir — Chas.  Stremlau,  M.  Sulli- 
van, A.  P.  Dossin,  Geo.  Stanley,  T.  F. 
Sullivan,  H.  W.  Sehl,  Jr.,  W.  F.  Lange. 

Parade — Geo.  Stanley,  M.  Sullivan, 
H.  C.  Klein,  Wm.  Fitzgerald,  Chas.  Ar- 
nold. 

Picnic — Jos.  McVeigh,  John  Nash.  F. 
Scheurer,  Wm  Fitzgerald,  Fred.  Pen- 
field,    H.    C.    Klein. 

Invitation  and  Reception — P.  F. 
Smith,  Wm.  Waas,  H.  C.  Klein,  Wm. 
McCarthy,   Chas.   Nellis. 

Sports — Joseph  Trahan,  R  R.  Dit- 
man. Chas.  Stremlau,  P.  F.  Smith,  Ed. 
N.  White. 

Press— H.  W.  Sehl,  Jr,  A  P.  Dossin, 
P  F.  Smith. 


Music— Alex.  Hart,  John  Cody,  M. 
Sullivan,  John  Nash,  Wm.  Fitzgerald. 

FIR.T     LABOR     MOVEMENT. 

As  early  as  1880  Meriden  had  labor 
organizations  representing  individual 
trades,  such  as  the  Iron  Molders, 
Bricklayers  and  Masons  and  Hod  Car- 
riers, each  looking  after  its  own  inter- 
ests, but  the  first  step  taken  towards 
a  concentrated  labor  union  movement 
here  was  about  1883,  when  the  Knights 
of  Labor  was  started.  It  was  like  a 
contagious  disease,  for  in  a  short  time 
it  spread  so  rapidly  that  the  whole  town 
seem  impregnated  with  the  K.  of  L. 

K.    OF   h.j    NO.    2,501. 

An  organizer  was  sent  to  Meriden 
from  the  K.  of  L.  headquarters,  and  as 
a  result  of  his  labors  Mechanics'  As- 
sembly, No.  2,501,  was  instituted  in  the 


MICHAEL  MOORE, 
President  Retail   Clerks'. 

old  Circle  hall  on  Colony  street.  The 
Knights  of  Labor  admitted  every  one 
to  membership  except  lawyers  and  liq- 
uor dealers,  and  a  good  deal  of  amuse- 
ment was  occasioned  by  the  barring  of 
these  two  professions.  The  lawyers 
wondered  why  they  should  be  classed 
with  the  saloon  men  and  vice  versa. 


172 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Mechanics'  Assembly  continued  to 
grow  in  membership  mitil  it  became 
600  strong,  and  as  politics  was  the  pre- 
dominating feature  of  the  order  the 
assembly  was  at  once  reorganized  as 
a  political  power.  In  fact  a  test  was 
given   in   the   election   of   two   members 


J.  P.  TWINING, 
Secretary   Cigar    JMakers'. 

as  representatives  to  the  General  As- 
sembly. George  O.  Higbj-  was  the 
candidate  chosen  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  and  his  associate  was  William 
Wallace  Lee,  whose  nomination  had 
really  been  forced  on  the  Republican 
party  by  the  Knights  of  Labor.  It 
was  in  this  way  the  power  of  the  K. 
of  L.  was  shown,  by  electing  a  man 
on   each   of   the   tickets. 

Prominent  among  the  early  meml)ers 
in  Mechanics'  assembly  was  the  late 
Samuel  C.  Camp,  the  first  master  work- 
man ;  E.  C.  Bingham,  the  second  chief 
officer,  who  has  since  taken  up  farm- 
ing in  Cheshire,  and  R.  H.  Guilmont. 
of  487  West  Main  street,  who  was  also 
a  master  workman  and  one  of  the 
strongest  advocates  of  the  K.  of  L. 
principles.  The  present  city  and  town 
clerk,    Herman    TTess.    was    likewise    on 


the  roll  of  membership,  and  it  was 
really  the  influence  back  of  the  K.  of 
L.  that  prompted  him  to  accept,  with  a 
good  deal  of  reluctance,  his  first  polit- 
ical nomination  from  the  Democrats. 
He  was  successful  from  the  start  and 
has  never  j-et  suffered  a  political  de- 
feat. 

DIFFERENT      ASSEMBLIES      FORM. 

But  there  came  a  cry  for  trades'  as- 
semblies about  the  time  that  Mechan- 
ics' assembly  was  at  the  height  of  its 
prosperity,  and  the  Metal  Workers, 
Burnishers,  Polishers  and  Buffers  and 
other  crafts  soon  organized  under  their 
own  K.  of  L.  banner.  Such  a  move- 
ment naturally  drained  the  membership 
of  Mechanics'  assembly  and  it  then  lost 
its   prestige. 


VENDAL  STUMPF, 
President    Bakers'. 

The  Knights  of  Labor  boomed  for 
four  or  five  years  in  Meriden  but  a 
period  of  disintegration  came  on,  and 
about  1889  the  K  of  L.  practically  broke 
up  in  this  city.  The  order  was  after- 
wards reorganized  here,  but  did  not 
last  long.  Through  all  the  troubles  the 
Polishers'  and  Buffers'  assembly,  the 
banner   one   in    INTeriden.   remained   firm 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


173 


to  the  K.  of  L.,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor  had 
gained  supreme  mastery  in  the  state 
and  the  membership  considered  it  to 
their  detriment  to  hold  out  any  longer 
that  the  Polishers  withdrew  from  the 
K.  of  L.  and  enrolled  under  the  F. 
of  L. 


J.  J.  LIDDY, 
President  Plumbers'. 

When  the  Knights  of  Labor  had  \w- 
come  strongly  intrenched  in  Meriden 
there  was  also  a  central  body  known  as 
the  Central  Labor  union,  and  in  justice 
to  the  K.  of  L.  it  might  be  said  that 
that  order  prepared  the  waj^  for  the 
movement  which  led  to  the  big  labor 
day  demonstrations  since  1890.  ]\Iany 
of  the  old  K.  of  L.  members  have  re- 
mained steadfast  to  the  labor  unions 
under  the  American  Federation  of  La- 
bor, and  even  now  some  of  the  strong 
K.  of  L.  principles  are  being  pushed  to 
the  front. 

CENTRAL    LABOR    UNION. 

The  Meriden  Central  Labor  union 
was  organized  September  21,  1890,  and 
has  a  general  oversight  of  all  the  af- 
filiated   unions    in    Meriden.     There   are 


twenty-three  unions  affiliated  with  the 
central  body   as   follows : 

Bakers  No.  60,  Barbers  No.  88,  Bar- 
tenders No.  159,  Brass  Molders  167, 
Brewery  Workers  No.  51,  Bricklayers 
and  Masons  No.  9,  Buffers  and  Polish- 
ers No.  88,  Building  Laborers,  No.  12, 
Carpenters  and  Joiners  No.  920,  Cigar- 
makers  No.  484,  Retail  Clerks  No.  56, 
Electrical  Workers,  No.  351,  Iron  Mold- 
ers No.  74,  Meat  Cutters  No.  67,  Mus- 
ical No.  55,  Painters  and  Decorators 
No.  685,  Plumbers  No.  21,  Printing 
Pressmen  No.  156,  Stereoiypers  No.  — , 
Street  Railway  Employes  No.  163, 
Teamsters  No.  169,  Typographical  No. 
314,   Grinders,   No.    15. 

The  officers  are  as  follows :  President, 
Albert  P.  Dossin ;  Recording  Secretar}^ 
M.  Sullivan;  Treasurer,  George  J.  Stan- 
ley;   Vice    President,    Joseph    Trahan; 


P.  F.  SMITH, 
Secretary  Plumbers'. 

Financial    Seecretarj',     Charles    Arnold ;. 
Sergeant-at-Arms,   W.   F.   Lange. 

BUILDING    LABORERS,    NO.     12. 

The  Building  Laborers'  union  of  Mer- 
iden was  first  organized  in  April,  1880,* 
and  is  the  oldest  labor  organization  in 


174 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


BRUNSWICK  HOTEL,   SHOWING   DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


175 


the  city.  Its  first  officers  were  William 
Cross,  president;  Thos.  Dorgan,  vice- 
president;  Michael  Cotter,  secretary; 
Roderick  Whalen,  treasurer;  Harry 
Brewster,  Thomas  Clarke,  Denis  Mur- 
phy,   executive    committee. 

After    three    years    it    disbanded,    but 
in    1887    reorganized    with    Wm.    Cross. 


O.  G.  HAUSCHILD, 
President    Iron    Molders". 

president;  Roderick  Whalen,  vice-pres- 
ident; Charles  Whitney,  secretary; 
Bernard  Ames,  treasurer.  The  follow- 
ing year  it  was  represented  at  the  con- 
vention where  the  International  organ- 
ization was  organized.  It  was  always 
affiliated  with  the  Central  Labor  union, 
and  its  delegates  took  an  active  part 
in  all  questions  that  came  before  that 
"body,  always  advocating  supporting  la- 
tor  candidates  for  legislative  eoffices. 
During  its  existence  the  condition  of 
its  members  has  been  materially  im- 
proved ;  higher  wages  and  shorter  work 
day  have  been  their  reward. 

In  1900,  through  circumstances  un  - 
avoidable,  the  organization  had  to  go 
tinder  cover,  but  the  union  spirit  still 
existed,  and  in  1904  again  unfolded  the 
banner,  electing  Joseph   McVeigh,  pres- 


ident; James  Henderson,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  Peter  Lyman,  treasurer ;  Frank 
Stevens,  secretary.  Believing  that  there 
was  no  aristocracy  in  the  ranks  of  wage 
earners,  and  that  to  be  successful  aU 
organized  labor  should  be  affiliated  un- 
der one  head  for  the  good  of  the  com- 
mon causes,  the  organization  joined  the 
B.  T.  C,  from  which  it  has  gained  many 
advantages. 

The  union  has  seventy  members  in 
good  standing  and  is  in  good  financial 
condition,  in  harmony  with  all  mason 
contractors ;  having  an  agreement 
signed   for  one  year. 

carpenters'    and   joiners'    no.    920. 

The  local  union,  No.  920,  of  the 
United  Brotherhood  of  Carpenters  and 
Joiners  of  America,  was  reorganized  Oc- 
tober 9,    1901,   the   first  union.    No.   49, 


HENRY  J.  HART, 
President  Meat  Cutters'. 

having  lapsed  by  reason  of  hard  times 
and  little  or  no  work,  but  in  justice  to 
49,  it  must  be  said,  they  were  among 
the  pioneers  in  the  labor  movements  in 
the  city,  and  by  their  hard  work  and 
good  judgment  they  laid  the  solid  foun- 
dation and  furnished  material  for  the 
new   one. 


176 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


One  of  the  members  of  49,  C.  E.  Wil- 
liams, seeing  the  need  of  organizing,  se- 
cured the  first  forty  members  with  their 
contributions  and  the  new  union  was  put 
to  work  with  the  past  experience  as  a 
guide ;  they  have  pushed  ahead  and  to- 
day they  hold  the  best  of  feeling  with 
contractors    in    the    cit}-,    and    with    the 


GEORGE  LIDDELL, 
Secretary  Meat  Cutters'. 

public  in  general,  taking  an  active  part 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare 
of  the  city,  and  in  securing  the  best 
men  to  serve  in  public  office.  The  first 
officers  of  920  were  J.  F.  Hart,  presi- 
dent ;  Fred  Holman,  vice-president ;  K. 
Elmendorf,  recording  secretary ;  H.  F. 
Tracy,  financial  secretary;  H.  Stecker, 
treasurer. 

polishers'  and  buffers',  no.  8. 
The  Buffers'  and  Polishers'  union 
was  organized  July  6,  1886,  and  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  strongest  in  Meriden 
At  the  time  of  its  organization  the 
Knights  of  Labor  was  in  its  prime,  and 
was  under  able  leadership,  and  a  most 
progressive  organization  it  proved  to  be 
in  matters  of  legislation  affecting  the 
interests  of  labor,  and  took  a  verv  active 


part  in  agitating  that  in  order  to  get 
justice  labor  must  elect  her  own  repre- 
sentatives, and  Meriden  and  several  of 
the  larger  towns  in  the  state  did  so. 
In  the  following  two  or  three  sessions 
of  the  legislature  the  K.  of  L.  had  twen- 
ty-five to  thirty  members  in  the  houce. 
and  it  was  during  that  time  that  most 
of  the  important  labor  laws  were  passed, 
such  as  the  weekly  payment  law,  the 
prohibition  of  child  labor  in  factories 
and  mills,  etc. 

The  Buffers  'and  Polishers'  union 
was  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Central  Labor  union,  and  has  since  been 
one    of    the    staunchest    supporters. 

The  Metal  Polishers,  Buffers,  Platers, 
Brass  Moulders  and  Brass  and  Silver 
Workers"  International  Union  of  North 
America  pledge  themselves  to  labor 
unitedly  in  behalf  of  the  following  prin- 


GEORGE    ODLUM, 
President    Grinders'. 

ciples :  Reduction  in  hours  of  the  work 
day,  enhancement  of  wages,  municipal 
ownership  of  all  public  utilities,  govern- 
ment ownership  of  national  monopolies 
and  abolition  of  government  by  in- 
junction in  controversies  between  cap- 
ital and  labor. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


177 


BRICKLAYERS      AND     MASONS  ,     NO.     9. 

The  Bricklayers'  and  Masons"  union. 
No.  9,  of  Connecticut,  local  branch  of 
the  International  union  of  America,  was 
organized  March  28,  1887,  with  six  char- 
ter   members. 

The  first  president  was  Robert  Ough- 
ton,  an  old  mason  contractor,  now  dead, 


JOHN    CONRAD   KURZ, 
President   Brewery   Workers'. 

and   the  vice-president  was   B.   A.   Rob- 
inson,  who   is   still    in   the   ranks. 

The  union  has  always  been  in  good 
financial  condition,  has  never  had  any 
strike  on  its  hands  or  trouble  of  any 
kind  with  the  boss  masons,  always  try- 
ing to  treat  everybody  fairly,  and  onlv 
asking  for  the  same  treatment  in  re- 
turn. The  union  is  affiliated  with  the 
Building  Trades  Council,  and  the  C.  L 
U.     The  present  officers  are : 

President.  R.  F.  Morrissey ;  vice- 
president,  Wm.  Seibert;  recording  s^^c- 
retary,  A.  Greenwood;  financial  secre- 
tary, Charles  M.  Arnold;  treasurer. 
William  L.  Moses ;  sergeant-at-arm.s, 
John    Clancy. 

barbers',  no.  88. 

The  local  branch  of  the  Journeymen 
Barbers'  International  Union  of  Amer- 

12. 


ica,  was  organized  in  1890  b_v  ten  of 
the  leading  barbers  of  Meriden  and  in- 
cludes all  the  better  class  of  barbers  in 
the  city,  excepting  those  in  the  cheap 
and  unsanitary  barber  shops.  The  work 
of  the  union  has  been  in  the  interest 
of  patrons  as  well  as  members  in  the 
matter  of  clean  and  sanitary  condi- 
tions, and  members  are  benefited  by 
shorter  hours  of  labor  and  the  aboli- 
tion of  Sunday  work. 

teamsters',  no.  169. 
The  Teamsters'  union  was  organized 
on  June  21,  1900,  and  affiliated  with  the 
International  Teamsters'  union  of 
America.  At  the  recent  Turner  hall 
fire,  its  charter,  books  and  supplies  were 
destroyed,  and  shortly  after,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  national  organizer  and 
the    Central    Labor    union,    reorganized 


R.    P.    WHITNEY, 
President   Pressmen's   Union., 

at  meetings  held  in  St.  Jean's  hall,  and 
is  now  making  good  progress  with  an 
increased    membership. 

brass    moluers,    no.    167. 
The    Brass    Molders'    union    was    re- 
organized on  June  19,  1901,  with  a  mem- 
bership   of     forty-eight,     and     affiliati^f. 


178 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


HF.ADOUARTERS    MERIDEN    EAGLES,    SHOWING    DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


179 


with  the  National  union  of  the  Metil 
Polishers,  Buffers,  Platers,  Brass  Work- 
ers and  Brass  Molders  of  North  Amer- 
ica. 

The  Brass  Molders'  union  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  organization  of 
the  Central  Labor  union  fifteen  \ears 
ago,  and  also  in  the  Labor  day  parades 
that  followed.     The  union,  at  the  pres- 


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J.  H.  TRAHAN, 
Vice   Chairman. 

ent  time,   has  an   increased  membership 
and  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 
bartenders',   no.    150. 

On  March  10,  1901,  about  forty  men 
following  the  occupation  of  bartending, 
assembled  in  Musical  union  hall,  on 
State  street,  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing themselves  into  a  fraternal  society, 
to  be  known  as  Local,  No.  159,  a  branch 
of  Hotel  and  Restaurant  Employes,  In- 
ternational Alliance,  and  Bartenders'  In- 
ternational League  of  America.  Then- 
object  was  to  lift  up  their  standing  in 
the  community,  further  the  interest  of 
their  employers,  and  better  their  own 
conditions  in  time  of  sickness  or  di.«- 
tress. 

The  present  officers  are: 


President,  Wm.  Gannon;  vice-presi- 
dent, Edward  O'Brien;  recording  3ec- 
retary,  Oscar  Funke ;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  John  C.  Hoban ;  inspector, 
John  Mead;  inside  guard,  William  Ru- 
dolph ;  chaplain,  Joseph  McCallan ; 
board  of  trustees,  James  Lyon,  chair- 
man ;    James    Cashman,   Joseph    Gilbert. 

BUILDING     TRADES     COUNCIL. 

The  Building  Trades  council  is  or- 
ganized along  the  same  lines  as  the 
Central  Labor  union,  and  is  compose-i 
exclusively  of  unions  employed  in  the 
building  trades,  all  of  which  are  also 
affiliated  with  the  Central  Labor  union, 
the  object  of  which  is  to  more  closely 
unite  and  concentrate  their  efforts  to 
protect  and  promote  their  interests  with 
regard  to  number  of  hours  of  daily  la- 
bor  and   rate   of   wages. 


C.  W   STREMLAU, 
Chairman    Souvenir   Committee 

Also  for  the  better  protection  of  life 
and  limb  in  their  daily  occupation ; 
against  the  use  of  cheap  and  danger- 
ous stagings,  scaffoldings,  etc.,  used  by 
a  certain  class  of  contractors  in  the 
construction  and   repairing  of  buildings. 


i8o 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


The  State  Federation  of  Labor,  at  the 
request  of  unions  emploj-ed  in  building 
trades,  presented  in  the  legislature  of 
1897,  a  bill,  the  provisions  of  which 
were  to  guard  against  these  dangers 
and  similar  to  laws  passed  by  other 
states,  and  was  ably  supported  by  in- 
terested union  men,  and  at  the  hearing 
before  the  Committee  on  Labor  it  was 
shown  that  only  a  few  weeks  previous  a 
painter  in  Hartford  lost  his  life  by  a 
defective  staging  giving  way  upon 
which  he  was  working,  and  falling  to 
the  ground,  was  instantly  killed.  But, 
notwithstanding  the  merits  of  this  bil'. 
the  lobbying  of  its  opponents  against 
it  was  successful,  and  it  met  with  de- 
feat. Life  and  limb  in  their  estimation 
was  cheaper  than  extra  precaution  and 
a    few    extra    pieces    of   material. 

The  affiliated  unions  are :  Bricklay- 
ers and  Masons,  Carpenters  and  Join- 
ers, Painters  and  Decorators,  Building 
Laborers,  Electrical  Workers,  Plumb- 
ers and  Sheet  Metal  Workers. 

Secretary  P.  F.  Smith,  of  the  Plumb- 
ers" union,  is  chairman  of  the  Build- 
ing Trades   council. 

the"  allied  printing  trades. 

The  Allied  Printing  Trades  council 
is  also  organized  along  the  same  lines 
as  the  Building  Trades  council,  and  is 
composed  exclusively  of  unions  'm- 
ployed  in  the  printing  trades,  all  of 
which  are  also  affiliated  with  the  C.  L. 
U.  The  organization  was  effected  last 
year. 

The  printing  trades  organizations  .Trc 
among  the  oldest  and  most  progressive 
in  the  country,  and  have  accomplished 
a  great  deal  in  reducing  the  hours  of  la- 
bor by   the   use  of  their  label. 

On  January  i,  1906,  the  eight  hour 
day  went  into  effect  in  Meriden,  and  the 
book  and  job  compositors  now  enjoy 
the  eight-hour  day,  like  the  newspaper 
men.  There  was  no  break  in  the  friend- 
ly relations  between  employer  and  em- 
ployes when  this  matter  was  in  pro- 
cess   of    settlement. 

printing   pressmen,  no.    156. 

The  Printing  Pres.smen's  union  was 
organized  in  April,  1903,  and  is  one  of 
the  unions  composing  the  Allied  Print- 
ing Trades  council,  and  also  affiliated 
with    the   Central    Labor   Union. 

The  objects  of  this  organization  arc 
to  cherish  and  protect  the  interests  and 
rights   as   workingmen,   to   cultivate   the 


social  ties  existing  between  members  of 
the  craft,  thereby  securing  a  better  un- 
derstanding and  fraternal  feeling  be- 
tween those  who  are  so  closely  allied 
by  the  nature  of  their  respective  trades. 
The  motto :  "One  for  all  and  all  for 
one." 

stereotypers',   no.    27. 

This  union  was  organized  May  24, 
1897,  ^y  the  stereotypers  of  New  Ha- 
ven, Hartford  and  Meriden,  who  had 
for  some  time  realized  that  they  needed 
an  organization  of  this  kind  if  they 
were  to  better  the  conditions  under 
which  they  were  then  working.  It 
was  decided  to  form  a  state  organiza- 
tion, as  there  were  not  enough  mem- 
bers of  the  craft  in  any  one  city  or 
town  to  form  a  local  union.  The  mem- 
bership was  very  small  at  the  begin- 
ning, but  what  they  lacked  in  numbers 
was  made  up  in  push  and  enthusiasm, 
so  that  to-day  they  are  one  of  the  best 
organized  crafts  in  the  state,  having 
eighty-five  per  cent,  of  all  the  stereo- 
tvpers  in  the  state  enrolled  as  members. 
When  it  is  understood  that  there  are 
only  two  cities  in  the  state  where  there 
are  more  than  three  eligible  members 
of  the  craft,  it  will  be  seen  that  there 
has  been  a  great  deal  of  work  done  to 
organize  a  trade,  the  followers  of  whicii 
are    so   widely    scattered. 

But  their  efforts  have  not  all  been 
expended  in  the  direction  of  increasing 
their  membership,  as  they  have  also 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  number  of 
working  hours  and  raising  the  standard 
of  wages  for  themselves,  with  very  hi 
tie  friction  between  themselves  and 
employers. 

This  union  is  affiliated  with  the  Al- 
lied Printing  Trades  council  and  the 
Central  Labor  union  wherever  thev 
have    members. 

TVPOGRAPHIC.\L,      NO.      3I4. 

The  Meriden  Typographical  union  en- 
tered the  ranks  as  a  regular  labor  or- 
ganization in  February,  1892,  and  dur- 
ing the  past  fourteen  years  manv 
changes  have  been  brought  about  in 
the  industry,  most  important  of  which 
is  the  reduction  of  working  hours  per 
day.  At  the  present  time  nearly  all 
compositors  in  Meriden  are  enjoying 
the   eight-hour   schedule. 

Another  matter  of  importance  was 
the  establishment  of  the  union  label  in 
Meriden.   which   is   the   emblem   of  pur- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


I«I 


ity,  honest  labor  and  fair  conditions, 
as  distinguished  from  the  product  of  a 
tenement  house,  sweat  shop  and  penal 
institution.  This  label  was  used  until 
a  few  years  ago,  when  still  another  ad- 
vance was  made  by  the  formation  of 
the  Allied  Trades  and  the  introduction 
of  the  allied  label,  with  a  view  of  bind- 
ing more  closely  the  relations  of  the 
craft  in  this  city. 

The  following  are  the  present  offi- 
cers  of  the   organization : 

President,  O.  R.   Brandenberger. 

Vice-president,    E.    H.    Whiting. 

Secretary-treasurer,   H.    C.    Maydwell. 

Auditors,  E.  H.  Whiting,  Jennie  Wat- 
son  and   Edward    Hart. 

Executive  Committe,  Thomas  Law- 
lor,  Antoinette  Reiman,  W.  F.  Pow- 
ers,  F.   W.   Wiggins  and  Adolph   Lahl. 

Delegates  to  Central  Labor,  W.  F. 
Lange,  Wm.  Thebo  and  Edward  Hart. 

painters'  and  decorators',  no.  685. 

Labor  union,  No.  685,  Brotherhood 
of  Painters,  Decorators  and  Paperhang- 
ers  of  America,  was  organized  June  4, 
1902,  with  a  charter  membership  of 
forty.  The  following  officers  were 
elected  :  J.  O.  Huggup,  president ;  James 
Manning,  vice-president;  John  Wed- 
lake,  financial  secretary ;  A.  Root,  re- 
■cording  secretary ;  J.  Falvey,  treasurer ; 
Lambert  Delisle,  precentor;  A.  Buej".s, 
•copductor ;    George    Bailey,    warden. 

The  first  movement  towards  orogress 
was  made  September  i,  1902,  employers 
granting  the  demand  that  eight  hours 
•constitute  a  day's  work. 

Affiliated  with  the  Central  Labor 
union,  the  members  have  always  re- 
spected the  authority  and  leadership  of 
that  body.  On  February  17,  1903,  the 
local  affiliated  with  the  Building  Trades 
-council,  which  has  done  good  work  in 
the  past  for  the  building  trades  of  Mer- 
iden. 

March  i,  1904,  the  minimum  wage 
scale,  $2.50  per  day,  was  agreed  upon, 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 
The  local  holds  agreements  signed  bv 
practically  every  contractor  in  Meriden 
to  employ  none  but  union  men,  work 
union  hours  and  pay  union  wages.  The 
relations  have  always  been  of  the  friend- 
liest with  bosses. 

The  dues  are  fifty  cents  per  montli, 
which  includes  an  insurance  in  case  of 
(^eath,  or  wife's  death,  and  disability 
claim,  besides  protection  of  the  trade. 
The  officers  at  the  present  time  are. 


President,  J.  B.  Dunlop ;  vice-pres- 
ident, A.  Buess ;  financial  secretary, 
Wm.  Williams ;  recording  secretary,  Y'. 
G.  Einecke ;  treasurer,  J.  Falvey;  con- 
ductor, G.  Root;  precentor,  G.  Miller; 
warden,    F.    N.    Barber. 

ELECTRICAL    WORKERS*,    NO.    351. 

The  Electrical  Workers'  union  was 
organized  January  31,  1903,  and  is  af- 
filiated with  their  National  union,  the 
Building  Trades  council  and  the  Ceti- 
tral   Labor   union. 

The  Electrical  Workers  have  made 
good  progress  in  the  past  and  at  the 
present  time  are  in  a  prosperous  con- 
dition. 

plumbers',  no.  21. 

The  Plumbers'  LTnion  was  organized 
May  10,  1900,  and  is  affiliated  with 
the  National  Association  of  Plumbers. 
Steam  Fitters,  Gas  Fitters  and  Steam 
Fitters'  Helpers  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  They  are  also  affiliated 
with  the  Central  Labor  union  and  ""he 
Building    Trades    council. 

The  union  is  at  the  present  time  in 
a  prosperous  condition. 

Among  the  officers  recently  elected 
were  President  J.  J.  Liddy  and  Record- 
ing Secretary  P.  F.  Smith. 

bakers',  no.  60. 

The  Bakers'  union  was  organized  in 
1886  and  now  has  a  membership  of 
twenty-six.  including  all  the  bakers  of 
Wallingford.  who  have  been  affiliated 
with   Local   No.  60  for   some  time  past. 

In  1893  a  bill  was  presented  in  the 
Connecticut  legislature  regulating  the 
sanitary  conditions  and  hours  of  labor, 
but  was  defeated ;  again  by  the  same 
party  in  1897  and  after  a  hard  fight 
finallv  passed.  The  general  public,  as 
well  as  consumer,  have  reason  to  feel 
grateful  to  the  labor  unions  for  their 
good  work  in  the  interests  of  public 
health  and  safety  and  humanity. 

They  have  just  signed  new  contracts 
with  the  master  bakers  and  they  feel 
that  they  are  now  working  under  bet- 
ter conditions  than  ever  before. 

meat    cutters',    no.    67. 

The  Meat  Cutters  union  was  organ- 
ized in  December.  1899.  It  has  nearly 
all  of  the  butchers'  clerks  enrolled  m 
its  membership.  They  have  always  tak- 
en an  active  part  in  bettering  the  con- 
ditions of  their  craft,  and  since  organ- 
ized    have     improved     their     conditions 


l82 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


greatly,  reducing  the  hours  of  labor, 
and  helping  to  support  and  encourage 
all  movements  which  are  for  the  good 
and  welfare  of  the  laboring  class. 

The  officers  at  the  present  time  are: 
President,  H.  C.  Hart;  vice-president, 
Joseph  Hirst;  secretary,  George  Lid- 
dell;    treasurer,    William    Gorman. 

MUSICAL,     NO.     55. 

The      Meriden      Musical      Protective 


its    seventeenth    anniversary    last    May. 

The  union  also  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  Central 
Labor    union. 

It  has  jurisdiction  over  towns  within 
a  radius  of  ten  miles,  and  has  members 
in  Middletown,  Wallingford.  South- 
ington   and   New   Britain. 

r,REWERY    workers',    NO.    51. 

The    Brewery    Workers"    union    was 


RECORD  BUILDING,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


union  was  organized  on  May  29,  1889, 
and  affiliated  with  the  American  Fed- 
eration of  Musicians  in  June.  1900, 
which  organization  is  composed  of 
about  350  local  unions,  and  a  member- 
ship of  about  40.000. 

The  Meriden  Musical  union  feels 
proud  of  the  distinction  of  being  the 
oldest   one   in   the   state,   and   celebrated 


organized  in  1894.  and  affiliated  with 
the  National  union  of  the  United 
Brewery  Workers  of  the  Lhiited  States. 
This  union  has  accomplished  a  great 
deal  in  the  matter  of  improving  their 
condition  by  reducing  the  number  ot 
long  and  weary  hours  which  they  were 
formerly  called  on  to  work,  and  also 
by   increasing    their    wages. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


183 


John  Conrad  Kurz  is  president  of  the 
organization. 

RETAIL    clerks'^    NO.    56. 

The  Retail  Clerks'  union  was  organ- 
ized in  June,  1901,  by  I.  A.  Sullivan, 
who  was  afterwards  elected  maj'or  of 
Hartford.  The  union  is  affiliated  with 
the  national  organization  which  is  com- 
posed of  about  1,000  locals  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  has 
about   50,000  members. 

To  the  Clerks'  union  belongs  the  cred- 
it of  having  the  stores  close  on  certain 
evenings  and  holidays.  The  union  is 
also  affiliated  with  the  Central  Labor 
union. 

IRON    HOLDERS,    NO.    74. 

The  Iron  Molders'  union  is  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Meriden,  and  is  affiliated 
with  the  Iron  Holders'  union  of  North 
America,  which  was  organized  in  Phil- 
adelphia, July  5.  1852,  by  Local,  No.  i, 
of  that  city,  and  Local  No.  2  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  and  has  had  a  continuous  exist- 
ence since  that  time,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  strongest  organizations  in  the 
country. 

The  Meriden  Local  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Central  Labor  union, 
and  took  a  prominent  part  in  all  the 
Labor  day  parades  here,  and  at  the 
present  time  is  in  good  condition  finan- 
cially and  numerically.  The  officers 
are:  President,  O.  G.  Hauschild;  vice- 
president,  Wm.  F.  McCarthy ;  financial 
secretary,  John  Maloney;  recording 
secretary,  P.  H.  Costello ;  treasurer. 
John  Meade ;  corresponding  representa- 
tive, Michael  P.  Meade;  inductor,  Wm. 
F.  Waas ;  doorkeeper,  J.  J.  Murray. 

STREET   RAILWAY    EMPLOYES',    NO.    163. 

The  Meriden  Street  Railway  Em- 
ployes' union  was  organized  in  1802 
and  was  at  that  time  affiliated  with  and 
working  under  the  laws  and  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Knights  of  Labor.  But 
when  that  organization  passed  out  of 
existence,  they  were  reorganized  under 
the  American  Federation  of  Labor  and 
became  a  part  of  the  Amalgamated  As- 
sociation of  Street  Railway  Employes 
of  America. 


During  its  history  the  union  has 
brought  about  a  great  many  reforms, 
such  as  shorter  work  days,  from  four- 
teen and  fifteen  hours  to  ten  and  eleven 
hours  per  day,  and  an  increase  in  wages 
from  sixteen  cents  per  hour  to  nine- 
teen and  twenty  cents  per  hour. 
grinders',  no.  15. 

Lodge  No.  15,  T.  K.  G.  N.  U.,  was 
organized  in  1894  under  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Table  Knife  Grinders  Nation- 
al union  of  North  America.  The  latter 
was  instituted  June  4,  1885,  and  has  un- 
der its  jurisdiction  ten  out  of  twelve 
shops. 

It  has  been  very  successful  in  the  way 
of  reducing  working  hours  and  increas- 
ing wages.  It  is  affiliated  with  the  Cen- 
tral Labor  union,  and  the  American 
Federation  of  Labor.  The  officers  are : 
President,  George  Odium ;  vice-presi- 
dent, O.  J.  Weisgraber;  secretary,  Edw. 
N.   White;   treasurer,  Eug.  Susson. 

CIGAR    MAKERS^    NO.    484. 

The  Cigar  Makers  of  Meriden  were 
members  of  the  New  Haven  union  foi 
many  years,  but  realizing  that  they 
could  improve  the  local  cigar  making 
industry  by  having  a  local  union  here, 
applied  for  a  charter  from  the  Cigar 
Makers'  International  union  of  Amer- 
ica, in  August,  1901,  which  w'as  granted 
the  same  month,  and  known  as  Local 
No.   484. 

Ever  since  receiving  their  charrer 
they  have  taken  an  active  interest  ni 
all  local  labor  matters,  and  have  suc- 
ceded  in  increasing  their  membership. 
The  members  of  local  484  are  trying  at 
all  times  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of 
all  users  of  the  weed  that  cigars  are 
a  luxury  and  should  be  made  under 
clean  and  healthy  conditions,  and  in  or- 
der to  protect  the  smoker  from  the 
filthy,  disease-laden  product  of  the 
Chinaman,  tenement  house  and  sweat 
shop,  they  ask  all  smokers  to  see  that 
the  blue  label  is  on  the  box  from  which 
they    are    purchased. 

J.  P.  Twining  is  the  recording  secre- 
tary of  the  local  union  and  C.  W. 
Stremlau,  the  delegate  to  the  Centra! 
Labor    union. 


1 84 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


HORSE  RACING  AT  TROTTING  PARK 


All  favorites  won  at  the  trotting  park 
Tuesday.  Odds  on  some  of  the  step-, 
pers  ran  into  figures  over  200  as  on  C. 
O.  D.  after  a  splendid  showing  made  in 
the  preliminary  heat.  In  spite  of  this 
handicap  business  was  brisk  at  the  ring- 
side and  when  Ben  Madden  ran  neck 
and  neck  to  the  turn  in  the  final  heat 
of  the  2:18  class  there  were  plenty  of 
the  fraternity  who  considered  that  they 
had  a  good  "thing  in  the  bay  gelding.. 

The  crowd  at  the  park  filled  up  the 
greater  part  of  the  grand  stand  and 
spread  itself  thickly  along  the  white 
fence  bounding  the  course.  It  reminded 
one  of  state  fair  days  with  the  numer- 
ous teams  drawn  up  on  the  hillside  and 
the  automobiles  converted  into  ideal 
vantage    points    in    all    directions. 

The  races  started  at  i  :30  p.  m.  Her- 
bert C.  Bingham,  of  the  Charter  Oak 
circuit,  was  the  starter.  George  Mes- 
senger, of  Southington,  J.  H.  Bronson, 
of  New  Haven,  and  W.  A.  Penfield,  of 
Meriden,  were  judges.  Fred  Beloin  of 
New   Britain,  was  head  timer. 

The  first  heat  was  that  of  the  2:35 
trot  and  pace  for  a  $200  purse.  The 
heat  was  run  off  at  a  lively  clip.  Prince 
Oatley,  owned  by  Broderick,  of  Middle- 
town,  easily  taking  first  place.  The  sec- 
ond heat  for- this  class  was  almost  a 
duplicate  of  the  first,  the  horses  finish- 
ing in  exactly  the  same  order.  The 
best  time   was  2:26   1-4. 

The  horses  in  the  2  :35  class  and  their 
places   were   as   follows: 

Full  View    (Martel),  New  Haven,  2  2 
Commoner  Boy   (Regan),  Water- 
bury  4  4 

Prince  Oatley    (Broderic'<),  Mid- 

dletown     i  i 

Raffles    (Bulkeley).    Southport    ..  5  5 

Sam  F.    (Curtin),  New  Haven   ..  33 

In  the  2:22  class  ($200  purse),  there 
was  considerable  trouble  in  the  startintr 
due  to  accidents  and  the  jockeying  of 
the  drivers.  The  race  was  won  by 
Johnnie   Mack,   with    Toskey    Maid    and 


Grace  M.  alternating  in  the  two  heats 
for  second  honors.  The  best  time  was 
2:21  1-2.  The  places  in  the  2:22  class 
were   won   as    follows : 

Toskey  Maid  (Maplehurst  sta- 
bles),   Windsor     3     2 

Johnnie     Mack      (Martel),     New 

Haven      i     i 

Grace    M.    (Atwell),    Middletown    2    3 

Mayo    (McGrail),    Branford    5     5 

Bertie  Barker  (Curtis),  Water- 
bury  4     4 

The  great  race  of  the  day  was  the 
2:18  class,  also  for  a  $200  purse.  C. 
O.  D.  was  the  favorite  at  the  start,  al- 
though Lunda,  Gene  Cuyler  and  Ben 
Madden  had  their  friends.  Owner  Bra- 
zel  had  all  sorts  of  trouble  with  the 
Middletown  horse,  delaying  the  start 
considerably.  Brazel  lacked  the  re- 
quired weight  in  the  first  place,  and  af- 
ter securing  this  a  girth  broke,  causing 
Ben  Madden  to  rear  and  buckle  togeth- 
er the  sulky  wheels.  When  the  horses 
finally  got  away  the  pace  was  terrific. 

In  the  first  heat  C.  O.  D.  and  Ben 
Madden  led  the  bunch  after  the  first 
tour  of  the  course,  but  C.  O.  D.  was  an 
easy  winner.  The  second  heat  was  the 
prettiest  of  the  race.  Neck  and  neck 
the  two  horses  kicked  up  the  dust  until 
the  last  turn  was  reached.  Then  C.  O. 
D.  pulled  away  with  ease,  and  John  Ball 
creeping  up,  Brazel's  driver  was  forced 
to  use  the  whip  to  maintain  his  posi- 
tion.    The    time    was    2:20    1-4. 

The  positions  of  the  horses  was  in 
this    order; 

C.  O.  D.  (Ferguson).  New  Ha- 
ven           I     I 

Ben  Madden  (Brazel),  Middle- 
town    2     2 

Lunda  ( Vandenburg).  Bridge- 
port           3     4 

John    Ball    (Stal'-er),    Hartford..     5     3 

Gene  Cuyler  (Bulkeley),  South- 
port   4    5 

Banner  Boy   (Smith),  Waterbury,    6    6 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


185 


The  free-for-all  proved  a  star  event 
and  in  both  heats  the  horses  were 
hunched  all  around  the  track.  Colonel 
Taylor  winning  out  by  a  neck  with  Joe 
Wilk,  a  close  second.  The  local  race 
for  seventy-five  bushels  of  oats  was  a 
fast  one.  Prince  Oatlej'  again  carried 
off  honors,  winning  the  2 .30  trotting 
race  for  $200.  Summaries : 
2:30   class,   $200 — ^Prince   Oatley,    Brod- 


erick,  won ;  Ban  Gillie.  Doyle,  second ; 
Rollie,   Hayes,  third.     Time,  2:25   1-4. 

Free-for-all,  $200 — Colonel  Taylor, 
Stalker,  Hartford,  won ;  Joe  Wilk, 
Bonkle}%  second ;  General  Shafter, 
Brown,   third.     Time,   2:17    1-4. 

Local  Race,  75  bushels  of  oats — Billie 
Boy,  Sears,  won ;  Coco,  Holton,  second ; 
Teddie  B.,  Weisner,  third.  Time,  2:39 
1-2. 


CENTENNIAL  BALL  GAME 


The  game  between  the  New  Haven 
and  Waterbury  teams  of  the  Connecti- 
cut league  at  the  Hanover  park  grounds 
in  the  afternoon  proved  to  be  the  star 
attraction  in  the  sporting  line  of  the 
day.     It  netted  the  Centennial  $50. 

Both  pitchers  were  given  fine  sup- 
port at  critical  times  which  held  the 
fans  at  fever  heat  throughout  the  con- 
test. The  former  members  of  the  Mer- 
iden  team  who  were  playing  with  Wa- 
terbury were  given  an  ovation  when 
they  stepped  to  the  plate,  and  Frank 
Burke  of  the  New  Havens,  was  also 
remembered. 

The  features  of  the  game  outside  of 
Corcoran's  great  work  in  the  box  were 
running  catches  by  Swander  in  left  gar- 
den in  the  fifth  inning,  when  he  made 
a  circus  catch  of  Fitzpatrick's  drive 
which  looked  good  for  a  two-base  hit 
a  running  catch  of  a  foul  fly  by  O'Ha- 
gan  and  a  stop  of  a  liner  by  Fitzpat- 
rick  in  the  ninth  period  which  nearly 
broke  his  hand  off.     The  score : 


WATERBURY. 

ab.  r. 

h. 

po, 

.  a. 

e. 

McAndrews, 

ss, 

4    0 

0 

I 

6 

0 

McCabe,  cf, 

3     I 

I 

S 

I 

0 

Swander,  If, 

4    0 

I 

4 

0 

0 

Nichols,    rf. 

4     I 

0 

I 

0 

I 

O'Hagan,    ib; 

3    0 

I 

II 

0 

0 

Trackera,   c, 
Rice,   2b, 
Baker,    3b, 
Rogers,   p, 


301300 
200020 
300100 
30001  I 


Totals  29    2    4*26  10    2 

*Bunyan  out  for  running  out  of  base 


line. 


NEW 

HAVEK, 

ab 

.  r. 

h. 

po 

.  a. 

e. 

Council,    rf, 

4 

0 

0 

I 

0 

0 

Fitzpatrick,  2b, 

3 

0 

0 

2 

2 

0 

Hannifin,    ss. 

4 

0 

0 

2 

4 

0 

Burke,    If, 

4 

I 

2 

I 

0 

I 

Hayward,  3b, 

4 

I 

3 

2 

4 

I 

Bunvan,    ib, 

3 

0 

I 

13 

0 

0 

Wade,   cf. 

3 

I 

0 

4 

0 

I 

Jope,   c. 

4 

0 

I 

2 

I 

0 

Corcoran,  p. 

4 

0 

I 

0 

5 

0 

Totals, 


33    3    8  27  16    3 


02000100  o — 3 

20000000   O — 2 


New  Haven, 
Waterbur}', 

Summary :  Two  base  hits,  McCabe, 
Hayward;  sacrifice  hits,  Wade,  Rice; 
stolen  bases.  Wade,  Jope,  Hayward, 
O'Hagan;  hit  by  pitcher,  Fitzpatrick, 
IMcCabe;  struck  out,  by  Corcoran  i,  by 
Rogers  i ;  bases  on  balls,  off  Rogers  i ; 
left  on  bases,  Waterbury  2,  New  Ha- 
ven 6;  time,  1:30;  umpire,  Malone. 


CENTENNIAL  LUNCHEON 


A  charming  affair  was  the  Centen- 
nial luncheon  given  in  the  afternoon 
by  Miss  Zerfass,  of  Lincoln  street.  Mrs. 
Marshall  L.  Forbes  acted  as  chaperon, 
and  those  present  were  Mrs.  Howard 
E.   Boardman,   Mrs.   Sherman   F.   John- 


son and  the  Misses  Deckerd,  Merriam, 
Nickerson   and   Birdsey. 

A  dainty  luncheon  was  served  and  a 
souvenir  appropriate  to  the  Centennial 
was  found  by  each  guest.  Miss  Zer- 
fass proved  herself  a  charming  hostess. 


i86 


CENTIiNNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


CENTENNIAL  CONCERT 


The  Centennial  concert  at  the  First 
M  E.  church  in  the  evening  was  a  great 
success  and  was  attended  by  an  audi- 
ence that  completely  filled  the  large  -edi- 
fice. The  local  orchestra  of  twenty 
pieces  did  excellent  work,  and  the  chor- 


G.    FRANK    GOODALE, 
Musical  Director. 

us  of  125  voices  was  the  best  ever  heard 
in    Meriden. 

The  music,  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental, was  under  the  direction  of  G. 
Frank  Goodale,  and  many  compliments 
were  given  the  singers,  players  and  di- 
rector. The  long  programme  was  car- 
ried out  without  a  break,  and  the  con- 
cert will  be  recalled  as  one  of  the  most 
enjoyable  events  of  the  great  Centen- 
nial celebration. 

The  first  part  of  the  programme  v/h3 
made   up   of   modern   music   and    things 


worthy  of  special  mention  were  Mr. 
Goodale's  "Stars  of  the  Summer  Night," 
which  was  sung  without  accompaniment 
and  which  received  most  hearty  and  de- 
served applause.  Frank  Treat  South- 
wick's  "The  Lord  Himself,"  the  Cen- 
tennial anthem,  a  beautiful  composition, 
was  delightfully  sung,  and  like  Mr. 
Goodale,  Mr.  Southwick  was  compelled 
to  bow  his  acknowledgements. 

In  the  second  part  one  of  the  gems 
was  the  singing  of  the  "Old  Folks  at 
Home,"    by    Mrs.    A.    M.    Brooks    and 


FRANK  TREAT  SOUTHWICK, 
Composer    of    Anthem. 

chorus.  The  audience  would  not  be 
satisfied  until  the  number  was  repeated. 
The  well-known  hymns  that  were  on 
the  programme  were  sung  with  a  spirit 
that  thrilled  the  audience,  which  united 
in    the    singing    of    "Auld    Lang    Syne ' 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


187 


and  "Meriden,  My  Meriden,""  the  Cen- 
tennial song  written  by  Thos.  L.  Reilly 
and  sung  to  the  tune  of  "Maryland,  My 
Maryland." 

To  end  the  very  successful  concert 
the  audience  and  chorus  sang  two  stan- 
zas of  "America." 

Only  words  of  praise  were  heard  tor 
the  concert  and  every  one  connected 
with  it.  The  soloists  of  the  concert 
were : 

Sopranos — Miss  Bertha  P.  Hobson, 
Miss  Myra  E.  Marshall,  Mrs.  E.  S. 
Montgomery,   Mrs.   A.   E.   von  Tobel. 

Altos— Miss  Lottie  E.  Bartlett,  Mrs. 
Arthur  M.  Brooks,  Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Gra- 
ham,  Miss   Susie   P.   Spencer. 

Tenors — ^Richard  H  Bourne,  Albert 
H.  Hart,  William  Heaton,  Alfred  B. 
Savage,    Harold   L.   Wheatley. 

Basses — Lewis  M.  Robotham,  Harry 
H.    Smith,    Claude   V.    Sutliffe. 

Director — G.  Frank  Goodale. 

Organist — Frank    Treat    Southwick. 

Pianist — Miss  Clara  M.   Scranton. 

The  orchestra  was  made  up  as  fol- 
lows : 

First  violins — John  Franzen,  concert- 
master;    C.    M.    Bryne,    Henry    Felix. 

Second  violins — A.  C.  Butler,  M.  Ke- 
gan. 

Viola— John    H.    Hill. 

Cello— Joseph  A.  Hill. 

Bass— J.    H.    Meehan. 

Flute — Herman   A   Sievert. 

Clarionets — Fred  Bourque,  Roy  H. 
Martindale. 

Trumpets — John  W.  Fearnley,  Ed- 
ward Schulz. 

French  horns — Paul  F.  Schuman,  Ed- 
win  A.    Hirschfeld. 

Trombone — Fred  E.  Frost. 

Tympani — H.  J.   Martel. 

The  programme  was  carried  out  as 
follows : 


FIRST     PART. 

War    March    of    the    Priests,    Athalia 

Mendelssohn 

Hallelujah   Chorus,   Mt.   of   Olives    .. 

Beethoven 

Song,    Stars    of    the    Summer    Night, 
(unaccompanied)  .  .G.    Frank   Goodale 
Solo  by  Mr.  Robotham. 
Chorus,  What  from  Vengeance   (Sex- 
tette from  Lucia  de  Lammermoor) 

Donizetti 

Miss   Hobson,  Mrs.  Brooks,   Mr.   Heat- 
on,    Mr.    Bourne,   Mr.   Robotham, 
and  Mr.  Sutliffe. 
Song,  When  Spring  Comes  Laughing 

Eaton  Faning 

Anthem,    The    Lord    Himself    

Frank  Treat  Southwick 

Solos  by  Miss  Marshall,  Miss  Spencer, 
Mr.   Hart  and  Mr.   Smith. 

SECOND  PART. 

Auld  Lang  Syne. 

Song,  Sound  the  Loud  Timbrel 

Charles  Avison 

Mrs.    von    Tobel,    Mrs.    Graham,    Mr. 

Savage  and  Mr.  Smith. 
Comic  duet.  Dost  Thou  Love  Me,  Sis- 
ter Ruth    John   Parry 

Mrs.    Montgomery    and    Mr.    Wheatley. 
Hvmn,    Denmark    (Before    Jehovah's 

Awful  Throne)    M.   Madan 

Song,    Old    Folks    at    Home    Foster 

Solo   by   Mrs.   Brooks. 
Hymns : 

(a)  Majestv    Billings 

(b)  Portland     Maxim 

Song,  Cousin  Jedediah  H.  S.  Thompson 

Solo  by   Mrs.   von   Tobel. 

Song.   Strike  the  Cymbal    Pucitta 

Solos   bv    Miss    Holjson,    Miss    Bartlett, 

Mr.    Hart   and    Mr.    Sutliffe. 
Hymn,  Jerusalem,  My  Glorious  Home 

Dr.  Lowell   Mason 

Centennial   Song,   Meriden,   My   Mer- 
iden     Thomas  L.  Reilly 


CKNTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


MERIDEN  SAVINGS  BANK,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


189 


Thursday,  June  14 — Military  Day 


The  great  crowds  early  in  the  week 
were  utterly  eclipsed  to-day  by  the 
thousands  upon  thousands  who  thronged 
the  streets  from  early  morning  as  every 
train  and  every  trolley  car  came  into 
the  city  loaded  to  its  capacity.  Car- 
riages and  automobiles  brought  others 
and  by  the  time  the  Drummers  and  Fif- 
ers  parade  started,  the  main  thorough- 
fares were  so  blocked  that  pedetrians 
could  make  but  little  headway.  It  was 
the  same  good  natured  crowd  that  made 
all  the  evenings  a  joyous  carnival. 
Everybody  was  on  a  holiday,  there  was 
no  ill  nature,  no  trouble  and  no  intox- 
ication or  anything  that  was  at  all  of- 
fensive. 

The  spectacular  features  had  much 
to  do  with  the  increased  attendance 
and  the  two  parades  were  among  the 
most  noteworthy  of  the  features  of  the 
week.  The  street  fairs,  the  midway, 
the  loan  exhibit,  the  numerous  other 
things  all  received  a  liberal  patronage. 

The  seventeen-gun  salute  was  fired  on 
Buckwheat  hill  in  the  morning  from  the 
field  piece  which  Agent  King  secured 
for  the  occasion.  Lieutenant  Page  and 
Sergeant  Lanphere,  of  Battery  A,  Bran- 
ford,  had  charge  of  the  firing.  They 
were  assisted  by  a  member  of  Company 
I  as  powder  boy.  The  men  worked  like 
clock  work  and  fired  the  salute  with 
great  precision.  There  was  some  com- 
ment because  the  gun  was  placed  so  far 
away,  and  it  was  decided  that  it  would 
have  to  be  brought  nearer  the  center 
of   the   city. 

With  varied  colored  uniforms  thirtv- 
two  drum  corps  marched  through  the 
principal  streets  of  the  city  in  the  morn- 
ing. Thev  started  shortly  after  dav- 
bi-eak  and  kept  it  up  until  long  after 
the  noon  hour.  There  was  hardly  a  mo- 
ment when  a  person's  ears  were  not 
greeted  with  the  shrill  notes  of  the  fife 
and  the  rattle  of  the  drum.  The  occa- 
sion for  all  this  was  the  annual  con- 
vention of  the  Connecticut  Fife  and 
Drum    association    and    incidentally    to 


assist  in  the  celebration  of  the  Centen- 
nial of  Meriden. 

■  The  several  corps  gathered  at  the  City 
park  and  on  their  arrival  reported  to 
Chief  Marshal  W.  J.  Brunelle.  He 
took  their  money  and  then  gave  the 
leaders  cards  which  assigned  them  to 
their  places  in  the  line.  The  parade 
was  scheduled  to  start  at  lo  :30,  but  it 
was  a  half  hour  before  the  word  was 
given  and  the  line  moved.  The  first 
division  was  composed  of  the  modern 
Fife  and  Drum  corps  class.  The  sec- 
ond division  was  led  by  the  Deep  Riv- 
er Drum  corps,  of  Deep  River,  with 
sixteen  men  in  the  line,  and  the  thun- 
der of  their  drums  is  still  echoing  in 
the  ears  of  many  of  the  residents  of 
this  town.  This  bunch  made  enough 
noise    to    awake    the    dead. 

The  third  division  was  made  up  of 
the  flute  and  piccolo  bands.  Their  uni- 
forms were  natty  and  they  were  well 
applauded  all  along  the  line.  There 
were  only  three  bands  in   this  division. 

In  the  fourth  division  there  were  the 
Jewell  Belting  Drum  corps,  of  Hart- 
ford. The  others  in  this  division  all 
came  from  Hartford,  and  they  were 
Bolden  Drum  corps,  Charter  Oak 
Drum  corps,  and  the  McLean  Drum 
corps. 

The  division  that  excited  the  most 
interest  was  the  fifth.  In  this  was  the 
most  famous  of  the  Drum  corps  of  the 
present  day.  It  was  the  Nineteenth  Sep- 
arate Co.  of  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  There 
were  thirty  men  in  the  ranks  and  in 
their  grenadier  uniforms  they  were 
cheered  from  one  end  of  the  line  of 
march  to  the  other.  They  were  the 
heroes  of  the  morning  and  they  well 
deserve  all  the  praise  showered  upon 
them. 

MAKE-UP    OF    PARADE. 

From  the  time  it  became  known  that 
the  annual  field  day  of  the  Connecti- 
cut Fifers  and  Drummers'  association 
was  to  be   held   in   this   city,   something 


190 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


was  doing.  The  Meriden  Fife  and 
Drum  corps  to  a  man  did  not  allow 
a  day  to  pass  that  they  were  not  busy 
preparing  for  the  event.  They  hustled  as 
only  the  young  men  of  Meriden  can, 
and  the  field  day  will  go  down  in  his- 
tory as  the  best  that  has  been  held  in  the 
annals  of  the  association.  Handsome 
and  valuable  prizes  were  secured. 

The  Meriden  Drum  corps,  under 
whose  auspices  the  convention  was  held, 
was  organized  August  20,  1902.  It 
immediately  forged  to  the  front  as  the 
best  modern  fife  and  drum  corps  in  the 
state.     From    the    beginning    of    its    ex- 


GICORGE  C.  HADLOCK. 
Pres.   Conn.   Fifers   &   Drummers. 

istence  it  has  won  prizes  at  each  con- 
vention. It  defeated  the  Military  Fife 
and  Drum  band  of  Southington  at  New 
Britain  in  1903  in  a  fancy  drill  contest 
and  the  Young  Men's  T.  A.  B.  drum 
corps  of  New  Britain  at  Bridgeport  in 
the  following  vear.  At  the  convention 
in  Deep  River  last  year  they  carried 
off  the   honors. 

William  F.  Feldhouse,  who  has  been 
the  leader  since  the  corps  was  organ- 
ized, has  won  many  prizes  as  individ- 
ual fifer  and  is  considered  in  the  first 
rank  as  a  drum   corps  leader  and   fifer. 


W.  J.  Brunelle,  who  is  the  major  of 
the  corps,  has  for  many  years  been 
the  champion  baton  swinger  of  the 
state.  He  has  defeated  such  men  as 
W.  E.  Newton  of  Holyoke,  and  Drum 
Major  Shea  of  Waterbury,  and  many 
others  of  fame.  The  Meriden  corps 
took  no  part  in  the  contests.  They 
acted  as  host  to  the  visiting  fifers  and 
drummers  and  made  their  visit  to  Mer- 
iden one  long  to  be  remembered  with 
the  greatest  pleasure.  The  corps,  who 
were  the  guests  of  the  Meriden  corps, 
were: 

The  19th  Separate  compainy,  Fife, 
Drum  and  Bugle  corps,  of  Poughkeep- 
sie,  N.  Y.,  twenty-five  men.  The  of- 
ficers were  Alberland  Comfort,  major; 
J.  C.  Alverson,  fife  sergeant ;  Emil  Ra- 
danke,  fife  corporal ;  Harry  Leckstran. 
drum  sergeant ;  St.  Clare  Lake,  drum 
corporal ;  Fred  Van  Elter,  bugle  cor- 
poral. 

Bethel  Drum  corps.  Bethel,  Conn.,  14 
men. 

E.  D.  Fiske  Drum  corps,  Guilford, 
Conn.,  10  men,  with  F.  D.  Sweet,  fife 
sergeant,  and  W.  H.  Dolph,  drum  ser- 
geant. 

Lancraft  Drum  corps.  New  Haven, 
15  men,  F.  S.  Howard,  leader;  Ed.  Rai- 
ney,  fife  sergeant,  and  F.  S.  Howard, 
drum   sergeant. 

Charter  Oak  Drum  corps,  Hartford, 
10  men,  with  John  Leach  as  leader. 
Ed.  Ritchie,  first  drum  sergeant ;  Sid- 
nev  Bacv,  second  drum  sergeant,  and 
W.   J.   Lindsay,   drum   corporal. 

Morgan  G.  Bulkeley  Fife  and  Drum 
corps,  Hartford,  15  men.  Major  Guy  H. 
Bockus ;  Michael  J.  O'Brien,  sergeant 
fifer;  Daniel  J.  Conlin,  corporal  fifer: 
Aaron  R.  Blumenthal.  sergeant  drum- 
mer, and  James  H.  Malone,  corporal 
drnmmcr. 

American  Fife  and  Drum  corps.  New 
Britain,  13  men ;  Charles  Burkhardt. 
leader:  Ed.  Tracy,,  fifer  sergeant,  and 
Samuel    Samuelson,    drum    sergeant. 

Oriental  Flute  and  Drum  band. 
Stamford.  t8  men.  Maior  John  F.  Mat- 
thews, with  A.  S.  Clark,  leader,  and 
C.    P.    McGuinness,    drum    corporal. 

Regimental  Drum  coq)s.  Greenwich. 
15  men:  Fred  Ferguson,  fife  sergeant: 
Olin  S.  Boom,  second  fife  sergeant; 
Daniel  Mimroe.  first  drum  sergeant; 
Frank    Shcehan,   second   dnun   sergeant. 

Jewel  Drum  corps,  Hartford.  9  men  ; 
Harold  Davis,  major,  and  Stuart  F. 
Hills,    sergeant    drummer. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


191 


Plainville  Fife  and  Drum  corps. 
Plainville,    Conn.,    15    men. 

Y.  M.  T.  A.  B.  Drum  corps.  New 
Britain,  16  men;  John  Kiley,  major; 
P.  McCram,  leader,  and  Frank  Welsh, 
drum    sergeant. 

Allen  Drum  corps,  Hartford,  17 
men;  A.  J.  Allen,  major;  F.  Dickinson, 


L.  E.  PRATT, 
State   Secretary  Drummers. 

drum  sergeant,  and  J.  O'Neil,  flute  ser- 
geant. 

Cathedral  Father  Matthew  Drum 
corps,  Springfield,  Mass.,  18  men,  with 
A.  J.  Trapp,  major;  B.  A.  Holland, 
leader ;  J.  D.  Shea,  drum  sergeant,  and 
J.   Lynch,   fife   sergeant. 

Eureka  Fife  and  Drum  corps,  Plain- 
ville, Conn.,  George  Livingstone,  man- 
ager. 

Glastonbury    Drum    corps,    13    men. 

Military  Drum  band,  Southington.  18 
men. 

New  London   Drum  corps,   15  men. 

Sacred  Heart  Drum  corps.  Water- 
bury,    16  men. 

St.  Ann's  Drum  corps,  Waterbury,  15 
men. 

Second  Regiment  Drum  corps.  New 
Haven,    10    men. 


Kennedy    Guards,    Danbury,    16    men. 

American  Graphophone  Drum  corps, 
Bridgeport,   15  men. 

A.  S.  and  K.  Drum  corps,  Hotch- 
kissville,    14  men. 

Deep  River  Drum  corps,  Deep  River, 
18    men. 

Liberty  Drum  corps,  New  Britain,  14 
men. 

Grenadier  Drum  corps,  Milford,  14 
men. 

Wallingford   Drum  corps,   16  men. 

Pratt  &  Reed  Drum  corps,  Deep  Riv- 
er,   16   men. 

R.  H.  Comstock  Drum  corps.  Ivory- 
ton,    14  men. 

Portland   Drum  corps,   15   men. 

T.  M.  Russell  Drum  band.  Middle- 
town,  15  men. 


W.  J.  BRUNELLE, 
INLirshal    Drummers'    Parade. 


Bolden's  Drum  corps,  Hartford,  10 
men. 

McLean's  Drum  corps,  Hartford,  10 
men. 

Sacred  Heart,  2nd  Regiment  Drum 
corps,    Springfield,    Mass.,    24    men. 

Father  Matthew  Drum  corps,  Hart- 
ford, 17  men. 


192 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Red  Men's  Drum  corps,  New  Lon- 
don,  14  men. 

Blue  Ribbon  Drum  corps,  Bridge- 
port,   15   men. 

H.  G.  Hubbard  Drum  corps,  Mid- 
dletown,  18  men. 

East  Hampton  Drum  corps.  East 
Hampton,   14  men. 


success  of  the  held  day  for  weeks 
were    as   follows  : 

General  Committee  of  Arrangements : 
— J.  B.  Feldhouse,  chairman ;  C.  L. 
Heckler,  E.  A.  Everard. 

Sub-committee  on  Suvenirs  and  Pro- 
gramme— W.  F.  Feldhouse,  chairman, 
W.    J.    Brunelle,    Charles    Corbin. 


RESIDENCE  OF  E.  J.   DOOLFrTLE,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


Derby  Drum  corps,  Derby,  14  men. 

St.  Mary's  Drum  corps,  Derby,  15 
men. 

Boys'  Club  Drum  corps,  Meriden,  15 
men. 

The  committees   that  worked   for  the 


Ladies'  Reception  Committee — Mrs. 
C.  L.  Heckler.  Mrs.  J.  B.  Feldhouse, 
Miss  Kathryn  McLaughlin,  Miss  Agnes 
Feldhouse,  Miss  Annie  Tresselt,  Miss 
Margaret  McLaughlin,  Miss  Anna 
Driscoll,    Miss     Bertha    Tresselt,     Miss. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


193 


Margaret  Watts,  Miss  Anna  Beatty, 
Miss  Pauline  Dubord,  Miss  Bertha 
Lippold,  Miss  Pearl  Goss,  Miss  Lizzie 
Driscoll,  Miss  Nellie  Scott,  Miss  Kath- 
erine  Donahue,  JNliss  Katherine  Russell, 
Miss  Catherine  Curtin,  Miss  Mary 
Everard,  Miss  Kittie  ]^Ianey,  Miss 
Marie  Lynch,  Mrs.  E.  Newbaum,  Miss 
May    Feldhouse,    Miss    Nellie    Driscoll, 


J.    B.    FELDHOUSE, 
Drummers'    Field   Dav   Chairman. 


Miss  Kittie  English,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Bru- 
nelle.  Miss  Annie  Cook,  Miss  Julia 
Fallon,  Miss  Fannie  Keegan,  Miss 
Katherine  Walsh  and  Miss  Mae  Carroll. 

The  musical  judges  were  Charles 
Mueller,  New  Britain,  technical ;  Fred 
Guilford,  New  Haven,  expert  flutist ; 
Daniel  J.  Crummins,  Hartford,  expert 
drummer. 

Military  judges,  Lieut.  A.  D.  Budd, 
First  U.  S.  Infantry.  Fort  Jay,  New 
York;  Major  W.  W.  BuUen,  First  regi- 
ment,  C.   N.   G.,   New   Britain. 

At  the  close  of  the  parade  in  the 
afternoon  the  corps  went  to  Hanover 
park  where  the  open  air  contests  were 
held.  In  the  evening  the  contests  were 
resumed  in  the  auditorium  and  while 
the  judges  were  engaged   in  making  up 

13 


the  awards  dancinig  was  indluged  in  by 
the  young  people  present.  About  i 
o'clock  in  the  morning  Secretary  L.  E. 
Pratt  announced  the  prize  winners. 
They  were  as  follows  : 

For  best  appearing  corps  in  line— A 
large  red  silk  banner,  Poughkeepsie 
Drum  corps. 

For  best  appearing  drum  major  in 
line — A  large  black  fur  drum  major^s 
shake,   A.   J.   Allen,  of   Hartford. 

For  most  ancient  appearing  corps  in 
line — A  hand  decorated  tob'acco  jar, 
Deep  River  corps. 

First  prize,  ancient  drum  corps — 
Deep   River,   large    silver   cup. 

First  prize,  modern  fife  and  drum 
corps — Silver  prize  cup,  T.  A.  B.'s  of 
New  Britain. 

Second   prize,   modern   fife   and   drum 


E.    A.    EVERARD, 
Aide  Drummers'   Parade. 

corps — Pair  bronze  figures,  "Game  of 
Grace."  Father  IMatthew's  corps,  Hart- 
ford. 

Second  prize,  ancient  fife  and  drum 
corps — Silver  trumpet.  Lancraft's  Drum 
corps,  of   New   Haven. 

First  prize,  flute  and  piccolo  band — 
Prize    cup.     Oriental    band,     Stamford ; 


194 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


second  prize,  flute  and  piccolo  band — 
Prize  cup,  Allen  Drum  band.   Hartford. 

First  prize,  drum  corps  without  fifes 
— Street  snare  drum.  Charter  Oaks, 
Hartford. 

First  prize,  fancy  drilling  by  corps 
— Gold  mounted,  hand  decorated  lov- 
ing vase,  T.  A.  B.,  New  Britain. 

First  prize,  individual  snare  drvmi- 
ming — F.    Fancher,    New    Haven. 

First  prize,  individual  bass  drumming 
— Gentleman's  English  cigar  case  and 
bill    book,    George    S.    Cook. 

Second  prize,  individual  bass  drum- 
ming— Pair  of  engraved  silver  napkin 
rings,  Edward  Smith,  Liberty  corps. 
New    Britain. 

First  prize,  individual  fife,  anci'ent 
class — Thirty-eight  calibre  revolver, 
James  Bonney,  Southington. 

Second   prize,    individual   fife,   ancient 


class — Silver  pepper  and  salt  cellars,  J. 
C.  McCran,  Liberty  corps.  New  Britain. 

First  prize,  individual  fife,  modern 
class — Set  of  silver  knives  and  forks, 
T.  D.  O'Connor,  St.  Francis"  T.  A.  B.. 
Naugatuck.    • 

Second  prize,  individual  fife  modern 
class — Silver  cup,  James  Bonney,  South- 
ington. 

First  prize,  individual  piccolo — Pair 
of  hand  painted  Melleu  vases,  E.  Ber- 
nardo, Stamford. 

Second  prize,  individual  piccolo — Sil- 
ver cup,  Chauvelot,  Stamford. 

First  prize,  best  drum  major  baton 
swinging — All  metal  drum  major's  ba- 
ton, B.  W.  Wrinn,  Southington. 

Second  prize,  baton  swinging — Med- 
al,   C.    Walker,    New    Britain. 

Special  prize,  fancy  drilling — Hand- 
some glassware.  Father  Matthew  corps, 
Springfield. 


PARADE  OF  SECOND  REGIMENT,  C.N.G. 


Twice  within  the  memory  of  man 
the  Second  regiment  has  captured  the 
town  of  Meriden.  It  was  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  last  century  that  the  first 
capture  was  made,  to  be  more  exact 
on  May  6,  1898,  that  the  regiment  de- 
scended upon  this  town  and  took  it  and 
all  the  inhabitants,  especially  the  young 
women,  by  storm. 

On  that  occasion  Company  I  defended 
the  city  from  the  assault  hut  what 
could  such  a  small  handful  of  men  do 
with  an  army?  This  time  Company  I 
was  one  of  the  invaders  and  the  city 
was  captured  hip  and  thigh. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  trains  un- 
loaded the  men  from  the  cities  to  which 
they  belong  and  a  quick  formation  was 
made  on  State  street  and  in  columns  of 
fours  the  regiment  marched  to  Pratt 
street,  where  a  big  dining  tent  had  been 
pitched.  It  was  there  later  in  the  day 
that  the  men  were  fed.  While  the 
drummers  were  parading  the  streets  the 
militiamen  strolled  about  the  city  singly 
or  in  groups.  Man  without  a  uniform 
was  a  nonentity.  Not  a  girl  in  the  city 
had  any  use  for  him.  It  was  a  repeti- 
tion  of   sixteen   years   ago. 

But  the  time  comes  when  there  is  an 
end   to  all   flirtation   and   when   the   din- 


ner bell  sounded  the  soldiers  fled  from 
their  charmers  and  ran  to  the  place 
where  the  inner  man  could  be  satisfied 
for  they  knew  they  had  a  long  and  hot 
march  before  them.  Immediately  after 
dinner  the  regiment  formed  for  the  pa- 
rade of  the  day  and  was  prompt  on  the 
line  at  the  hour  set.  There  the  men 
were  obliged  to  wait  for  the  civilians 
to  get  in  line  and  when  that  had  been 
accomplished  the  word  was  given  and 
the  march  began.  All  along  the  line 
the  companies  were  cheered.  There 
were  no  favorites.  Each  and  every 
man  in  the  regiment  was  a  guest  of 
the  city  for  the  day  and  the  public  rec- 
ognized that  fact  and  the  cheers  were 
given    with    a   will    and    impartiality. 

Colonel  Geddes  was  in  command. 
The  regiment  was  divided  in  three  bat- 
talions. Captain  Carter  of  Company  A. 
of  Waterbury.  was  in  command  of  the 
first  battalion.  Major  Tilson  having 
been  elected  commander  of  the  Span- 
ish War  veterans,  and  was  at  the  head 
of  that  organization  in  the  parade.  Ma- 
jor Norton  was  in  command  of  the  sec- 
ond and  Major  Isbell  of  the  third  bat- 
talion. 

The  L^^niformed  Rank  of  the  Knights 
of    Pvthias    followed    the    Second    regi- 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


195 


ment.  This  body  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  Brigadier  General  Joseph  S. 
Stokes.  Colonel  G.  P.  Tryon  of  this 
town  commanded  the  First  regiment  and 
Colonel  Osborne  the  Second.  There 
were  eleven  companies  in  the  former 
and  twelve  in  the  latter. 

The  United  Spanish  War  veterans 
brought  up  the  rear  of  the  procession 
but  not  the  rear  in  the  matter  of  the 
cheers  that  weree  handed  out  with  great 
prodigality.  The  people  appreciated 
what  had  been  done  only  a  few  years 
ago  and  were  quicl*  to  refute  that  old 
saying  to  the  effect  that  the  public  soon 
forgets  and  looks  for  some  new  excite- 
ment or  hero.  So  well  were  they 
cheered  that  the  new  commander 
blushed  under  his  tan  and  the  faces  of 
the   men   beamed   ^ith  pleasure. 


FEEDING    THE    SOLDIERS. 

Executive  Agent  King  and  Caterer 
W.  H.  A.  Maynard,  who  looked  after 
the  feeding  of  the  Second  regiment,  the 
Spanish  War  Veterans  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  fed  1,200  of  them  at  the  big 
tent  on  Center  street,  at  noon.  This 
was  one  of  Mr.  King's  worries  that  was. 
however,  as  successfully  carried  out  as 
all  the  other  details  of  the  great  event. 
There  was  not  a  hitch  in  the  catering 
line.  The  military  boys  and  the  others 
filed  into  the  big  tent  and  were  served 
with  an  excellent  luncheon  by  "Pop" 
Maynard's  skilled  waiters  and  every  one 
was  satisfied. 

Colonel  Geddes  expressed  his  appre- 
ciation of  the  success  of  the  affair,  es- 
pecially that  not  a  detail  that  looked  to- 
wards  their   comfort   was   overlooked. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SECOND  REGIMENT,  C.N.G, 


When  one  speaks  of  the  history  of 
New  Haven  colony  he  must  in  almost 
the  same  breath  mention  the  Second 
regiment.  They  are  co-existent.  One 
is  and  has  been  for  centuries  depend- 
ing on  the  other  for  support.  In  a 
case  it  is  a  Darby  and  Joan  form. 
Every  schoolboy  knows  when  the 
dissenters  came  to  the  southern  part 
of  the  state  to  found  a  colony  in  which 
they  could  worship  God  in  their  own 
way  and  the  trials  and  tribulations 
which  they  met  in  their  endeavor.  The 
name  of  John  Davenport  will  always 
be  reverenced  wherever  a  Christian 
bends  his  knees  in  his  silent  prayer. 
The  church  has  been  blessed  but  there 
has  nothing  been  said  about  the  pool 
soldiers  who  waded  through  snow  and 
slush  and  storm  and  sleet  and  often 
times  went  without  a  meal  to  sustain 
them  in  the  fight  that  was  to  come  on 
the  morrow.  There  is  where  the  Sec- 
ond regiment's  history  is  co-existent 
with  that  of  New  Haven  colony. 

There  is  many  a  youth  in  the  ranks 
of  the  Second  regiment  who  proudly 
carries  his  musket  who  does  not  know 
the  least  bit  about  the  history  of  the 
command  of  which  he  follows  the  col- 
ors. If  he  did  he  would  carry  his 
head  a  few  inches  higher. 


As  has  been  said  before,  the  history 
of  the  Second  regiment  and  New  Haven 
colony  are,  and  have  been  for  ages, 
running  in  the  same  channel.  There 
has  been  no  divergence  and  when  one 
has  prospered  the  other  gained  some 
sort  of  a  benefit. 

The  Second  regiment,  Connecticut 
National  Guard,  is  beyond  a  doubt  the 
oldest  military  organization  in  the 
United  States.  It  has  been  in  contin- 
uous existence  ever  since  the  year 
1639,  when  the  old  training  days  were 
in  vogue.  But  the  real  time  that  the 
Second  regiment  came  into  existence 
was  when  it  was  put  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  major  and  that  was  in  1673. 
Previous  to  that  time  there  was  only  a 
squad  that  reported  for  drill  duty. 
Then  came  a  reorganization  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Turner.  He 
merged  all  of  the  companies  at  that 
time  under  one  organization  and  named 
it  the  Second  regiment,  Connecticut 
National  Guard.  It  has  been  in  con- 
tinuous existence  ever  since.  There 
has  not  been  a  break  in  the  colony  and 
the  oflicers  of  the  regiment  can  point 
with  equal  pride  to  the  record  of  the 
regiment. 

The  first  commissioned  commander 
of  the     Second  regiment  was     Robert 


iy6 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MEKIDEN, 


Treat.  He  was  commissioned  major 
in  August,  1673.  Sir  Edmond  Andros 
in  November,  16S7,  appointed  him  a 
colonel,  and  from  that  time  a  colonel 
has  been  in  command  of  the  Second 
regiment. 

The  next  colonel   was     Samuel   Ells 
who    was   appointed    in    October,    1739, 


When  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
broke  out  the  ranks  of  the  regiment 
were  thinned  by  the  young  men  going 
to  the  front.  They  gave  a  good  ac- 
count of  themselves  and  their  bones 
are  scattered  from  the  coast  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  the  land  of  the  Seminoles. 
Members  of  the  Second  regiment  were 


OFFICE  OF    WILCOX   &    WHITE   CO. 


and  from  that  date  the  history  of  the 
regiment  is  lost  to  the  historian,  in  a 
sense.  Under  the  command  of  Major 
Treat  the  regiment  did  excellent  work 
in  the  Indian  wars,  so  much  so  that 
in  the  year  1075  Major  Treat  was  made 
a  deputy  governor  for  his  gallantry  in 
the  war  against  King  Phillip. 


with  General  Washington  when  Corn- 
wallis  surrendered  on  that  eventful 
day  in  November  in  1781. 

After  the  close  of  the  War  of  the 
Revolution  the  regiment  had  a  rest 
for  a  few  years  and  then  all  of  a  sud- 
den the  war  of  1812  loomed  up  on  the 
horizon.      Again  the  young  men  of  the 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


197 


regiment  went  to  the  front  and  the 
records  show  that  they  acquitted  them- 
selves In  a  manner  that  was  a  credit 
to  themselves  and  their  commanders. 
And  then  came  the  Mexican  war  and 
once  more  the  Second  must  be  heard. 
This  time  the  prestige  of  the  regiment 
was  kept  up  and  there  are  men  in  the 


GEN.  E.  E.  BRADLEY. 

state  who  went  to  the  front  at  that 
time  and  who  are  now  drawing  pen- 
sions. Soon  there  will  be  none  of  the 
old  guard  left. 

From  the  time  of  Samuel  Ells  the 
regiment  had  several  colonels.  They 
were  selected  from  all  walks  of  life, 
but  it  was  under  the  command  of  Al- 
fred H.  Terry  that  the  regiment  made 
the  record  of  all  records.  When  Pres- 
ident Lincoln  made  his  call  for  troops 
the  Second  regiment,  almost  to  a  man, 
volunteered.  That  was  early  in  1861 
and  Colonel  Terry  led  the  regiment  to 
the  fifild.  The  discipline  was  such 
and  the  esprit  de  corps  was  so  perfect 
that  the  regiment  was  complimented 
in  special  orders  by  General  Keyes,  a 
regular  army  officer,  who  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  division  on  that  day.  The 
regiment,  or  portions  of  it.  were  heard 


of  from  time  to  time  throughout  the 
war.  Many  regiments  were  the 
nuclei,  if  such  a  word  can  be  used  in 
this  instance,  of  the  old  Second,  of 
Connecticut. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  the  regi- 
ment remained  idle  for  a  time  and 
spent  the  interval  in  the  work  of  reor- 
ganization. All  it  did  for  years  was 
to  go  in  annual  encampment  and  es- 
cort the  newly  elected  governor  to  the 
state  capitol.  In  April,  1870,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  E.  E.  Bradley 
it  was  called  to  Charles  Island,  at  the 
mouth  of  Milford  harbor  to  quell  a 
prize  fight  that  was  to  be  pulled  off  by 
a  gang  of  New  York  toughs.  The  reg- 
iment fell  into  line,  went  there  and,  to 
the  credit  of  the  officers  and  men,  a 
very  few  of  the  toughs  escaped. 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  Second  reg- 
iment  had   an  unusual   honor  paid   to 


MAJOR  J.  Q.  TILSON. 

it  by  U.  S.  Grant  when  he  was  Presi- 
dent. The  regiment  had  made  all  ar- 
rangements to  attend  the  inauguration 
of  President  Grant  in  March,  1873. 
Owing  to  some  delay,  that  to  this  day 
has  not  been  explained,  the  regiment 
did   not  get   to   Washington   until   the 


198 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


day  after  the  inauguration.  When 
President  Grant  heard  what  had  hap- 
pened he  at  once  ordered  a  special  re- 
view for  the  Second  regiment  on  the 
next  day.  To  say  that  the  regiment 
was  well  received  is  expressing  it 
mildly.  From  one  end  of  Pennsylva- 
nia avenue  to  the  other  there  was  noth- 
ing but  cheers  and  shouts  of  welcome. 
And  when  the  regiment  passed  the  re- 
viewing stand  bedlam  let  loose.  No 
National  Guard  regiment  was  before, 
or  has  since,  been  so  honored. 

Since  that  time  honors  have  been 
heaped  on  the  regiment.  When  Pres- 
ident Grant  came  to  New  Haven  to  at- 
tend the  encampment  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  in  1873,  he 
chose  the  Second  regiment  as  his  es- 
cort. He  knew  what  the  regiment  did 
and  what  it  could  do  when  called  upon. 
And  the  best  of  it  is  he  was  not  disap- 
pointed. 

From  that  time  on  to  the  present  the 
Second  has  always  taken  the  lead  in 
everything  in  a  military  sense.  That 
is  shown  each  month  in  the  report  of 
the  adjutant  general.  The  figures  of 
merit  tell  in  a  short  space  what  kind 
of  people  are  in  the  old  Second.  And 
look  at  the  scores  that  are  made  by 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  different 
commands!  Few  regiments  of  the 
several  states  of  the  Union  can  show 
such  records.  Private  rivals  captain 
and,  when  it  comes  down  to  a  pinch,  a 
general  is  no  better  than  the  man 
without  a  chevron  when  he  gets  in  the 
rifle  butts.  Each  and  every  one  works 
for  the  honor  of  the  regiment.  That 
is  the  secret  of  the  success  of  the  long 
and  remarkable  career  of  the  Second 
regiment,  Connecticut  National  Guard, 
which  was  organized  in  1639  and  has 
kept  up  its  continuous  existence  to  this 
day. 

CO.    B,   CITY   GUARD. 

The  City  Guard  was  organized  by  a 
number  of  young  Germans  early  in 
1861.  It  was  not  until  the  fall  of 
the  year  that  the  organization  was 
completed,  and  at  a  meeting  on  the 
night  of  September  14,  1861,  the  com- 
pany went  into  existence.  George  A. 
Basserman  was  selected  the  first  cap- 
tain. For  those  times  he  was  consid- 
ered a  w-ealthy  man,  being  a  brewer, 
and  in  a  short  while  ne  became  the 
colonel  of  the  regiment.     He  was  suc- 


ceeded on  April  14,  1866,  by  Carl  En- 
gel,  who  when  he  died  was  a  major 
of    the    regiment. 

CO.    E,    LIGHT    GUARD. 

This  company  was  organized  In 
1862.  Benjamin  N.  Tuttle  was  the 
first  captain.  The  company  has  held 
an  honorable  record  in  the  National 
Guard  ever  since.  Many  men  who  en- 
listed in  the  ranks  of  this  command 
have  won  medals  for  bravery  on  the 
fields  of  battle,  not  alone  in  this  coun- 
try, but  in  other  lands  and  under  oth- 
er flags.  Graduates  of  the  Light 
Guard  shoulder  muskets  and  parade 
with  the  Old  Guards  of  New  York  and 
The  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery 
of  Boston. 

CO.     C,     SARSFIELD     GUARD. 

The  spread  of  Know  Nothingism 
was  in  a  measure  the  cause  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Sarsfield  Guard.  In 
1855.  Companies  D  ana  E  and  the 
Rifle  company,  of  Bii-mmgham,  now 
Derby,  were  composed  of  sturdy  young 
Irishmen.  They  were  disbanded  in 
that  year,  and  the  young  men  formed 
an  independent  company,  which  they 
called  the  Emmet  Guard.  This  was 
the  nucleus  of  the  famous  Ninth  C.  V., 
which  did  such  good  work  under  Gen- 
eral Benjamin  Butler  in  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion.  When  the  volunteers 
returned  from  the  war  in  1865  a  meet- 
ing was  held,  and  the  Sarsfield  Guard 
was  organized.  Joseph  H.  Keefe,  a 
veteran,  was  elected  captain  and  be- 
fore he  died  he  became  a  major  of 
the  regiment. 

CO.    F,    THE    GRAYS. 

Early  in  1816  a  young  graduate  01 
Yale  and  a  lawyer  of  some  promise, 
gathered  a  number  of  his  friends 
about  him  in  the  old  state  house  and 
suggested  that  they  should  form  a 
military  company.  His  idea  met  with 
popular  favor  and  in  a  short  time  the 
Grays  was  organized.  It  was  first 
called  the  New  Haven  Light  Infantry. 
By  a  unanimous  vote  the  company 
decided  to  wear  nothing  that  was  not 
made  in  America.  Its  uniform  was  a 
dark  gray  and  when  the  company 
made  its  first  appearance  the  public  by 
acclaim     named     the  company     "The 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


199 


Iron  Grays."  From  ttiat  time  to  the 
present,  the  company  has  been  known 
as  the  "Grays."  The  company  was  or- 
ganized on  September  13,  1816,  and 
Sophos  Staples  was  its  flrst  captain. 
The  first  public  parade  of  the  com- 
pany was  on  May  5,  1817.  The  com- 
pany has  had  a  continuous  existence 
ever  since. 


CAPT.   ALLIXG. 


CO.     D,    THE    BLUES. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1828 
a  small  number  of  men  gathered  in 
the  lecture  room  of  the  Baptist  Meet- 
ing house  in  New  Haven.  They  talked 
over  the  advisability  or  forming  a 
military  company.  Inrantry,  cavalry 
and  artillery  were  proposed  and  af- 
ter several  meetings  had  been  held 
it  was  decided  to  form  an  artillery 
company.  This  was  on  june  28,  1828. 
M.  A.  Durand  was  elected  the  captain 
of  the  new  company,  and  in  a  few 
years  after  the  men  got  tired  of  nus- 
tling  around  guns  anii  r/ent  in  the  in- 
fantry line.  Then  the  Blues  were 
formed,  and  the  company  has  been  an 
honor  to  the  regiment  ever  since. 


CHAMEERL.\IN     GUARD,     CO.     L. 

When  the  National  Guard  was  reor- 
ganized by  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
and  was  made  into  twelve  companies, 
Company  L  of  Meriden  was  formed.  For 
years  there  had  been  onlj-  one  company 
of  the  National  Guard  in  the  city  of 
Meriden  and  the  ranks  were  at  all  times 
full  and  there  was  a  big  waiting  list- 
The  young  men  of  the  city  were  quick 
to  respond  to  the  call  to  arms  and  in  a 
short  time  the  full  complement  of  six- 
ty-eight men  was  enlisted-  Joseph  De- 
Cantillon,  who  had  been  a  hard  work- 
er for  the  success  of  the  company,  was- 
elected  captain  and  has  held  that  office 
ever   since. 

CO.     I,     EATON     GUARD. 

Co.  I  of  Meriden  can  trace  its  history 
back  to  very   strenuous  days-       It  was 


CAPT.    E.    O.    GRUENER. 


during  the  time  of  the  draft  riots  in  the 
civil  war  in  1863.  Men  in  those  days 
did  not  know  who  was  friend  or  foe. 
-A.  feverish  anxiety  existed  all  through 
the  north  and  in  few  states  was  there 
any  semblance  of  military  organization. 
In    this    state    it    has    been    completely 


200 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


broken  up  and  the  cities  and  towns  were 
practically  defenseless. 

About  this  time  was  organized  the 
Union  league,  the  purpose  of  which  was 
to  maintain  at  all  hazards,  and  at  any 
cost,  the  Union  undivided.  The  Union 
league  saw  the  danger  which  existed 
in  this  state  and  at  once  took  steps  to 
avert  it.  Col.  Dexter  R.  Wright  had 
been  admitted  to  the  league  in  New  Ha- 
ven, William  Wallace  Lee  in  Birming- 
ham, and  they  were  the  only  two  in 
Meriden.  They  at  once  saw  the  need 
of  it  and  determined  that  the  league 
should  be  organized  in  Meriden  as  soon 
as  possible.  '  One  day  it  was  circulated 
about  town  that  Lee  had  united  a  num- 
ber of  Masons  to  go  to  New  Haven 
with  him  and  visit  Wooster  lodge  of 
Free  Masons.  They  did  go  and  visit 
the  lodge  but  it  was  for  a  short  time. 
Then  they  went  to  another  place  and 
were  initiated  into  the  Union  league. 
Thev  returned  at  midnight  and  met  the 
next  day  at  O-  H-  Piatt's  office,  organ- 
ized and  admitted  O.  H.  Piatt,  Jacob 
Eaton  and  Rodney  L.  Smith.  The  next 
night  a  meeting  was  held  over  Bela 
Carter's  store  when  Mr.  Carter  and 
Major  Byxbee  were  admitted. 

They  had  just  got  well  organized 
when  the  draft  riots  occurred.  The  old 
Light  Guard  had  been  disbanded.  A 
committee  met  Gov.  Buckingham  by  ap- 
pointment and  secured  the  loan  of  200 
muskets  from  the  arsenal.  The  guns 
were  met  about  3  o'clock  the  next 
morning  near  Berlin  and  escorted  to  this 
city  and  stored  with  a  guard  on  duty. 

"The  next  night  the  members  of  the 
Union  league  met  in  the  Town  hall  and 
organized  two  companies  of  volunteers, 
100  men  each,  known  as  senior  and 
junior  companies.  The  seniors  were 
over  thirty-five  and  Levi  E.  Coe  was 
captain.  Of  the  juniors,  men  under 
thirty-five,  Jacob  Eaton  was  chosen 
captain,  E.  W.  Bliss  first  lieutenant,  and 
later  captain. 

This  was  the  beginning  of  Company 
I  of  Meriden.  The  members  of  the 
junior  company  stuck  to  their  drills  and 
aimed  to  perfect  themselves  in  military 
knowledge.  Taken  altogether  they  were 
a   fine  body  of   men. 

When  Captain  Eaton  first  proposed 
that  the  company  go  into  the  state  mil- 
itia only  a  small  minority  fell  in  with 
his  idea,  but  by  his  gentle  and  persua- 
sive manner  he  won  the  entire  com- 
pany over   to  him. 


On  Oct.  5,  1863,  it  was  formally  voted 
to  organze  as  a  company  of  the  state 
militia,  only  a  few  who  had  been  in  the 
volunteers  failed  to  sign  the  roll.  Meet- 
ings were  held  for  drill  but  the  ranks 
were  constantly  being  depleted  by  en- 
listments  in   the   army. 

In  the  summer  of  1864  Captain  Eaton 
determined  to  enter  again  the  regular 
service.  The  members  made  no  effort 
to  restrain  him  and  the  company  went 
down  to  hear  him  preach  his  farewell 
sermon.  He  is  buried  in  the  quiet  lit- 
tle cemetery  in  Cromwell,  Conn. 

The  company  turned  out  with  eighty 
men  in  1864  at  the  inauguration  of  Gov- 
ernor Buckingham.  In  May,  1865,  the 
company  turned  out  loi  men  in  the  pa- 
rade at  Hartford  and  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  went  into  camp  at  New  Haven 
with  ninety-seven  men  in  the  ranks. 
When  Captain  Eaton  resigned,  E.  W- 
Bliss  was  elected  captain.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1865  Captain  Bliss  left  Meriden 
and  resigned  and  Lieutenant  Adams 
was    elected. 

Looking  over  all  the  \-ears  that  have 
passed  since  Co.  I  was  organized  no  bet- 
ter class  of  young  men  had  at  any  time 
been  gotten  together  in  Meriden.  The 
company  has  furnished  one  state  comp- 
troller, Luzerne  I.  Munson,  in  1885-6, 
three  state  senators,  Wm.  A.  Hall,  1868, 
R.  T.  Cook,  1883,  Wm.  H.  Golden,  1884. 
The  company  also  furnished  one  mayor 
to  the  city  of  Meriden,  E.  J.  Doolittle. 
From  that  time  on  the  history  of  the 
company  is  well  known  to  the  present 
generation.  At  the  annual  encamp- 
ments of  the  National  Guard  at  Nian- 
tic  it  has  always  won  the  commendation 
of  the  higher  officers. 

The  recent  captains  of  the  company 
are  as  follows :  Dexter  W.  Parker, 
Theodore  Byxbee,  Henry  B.  Wood,  Os- 
car L.  Bradley  ad  George  E.  Proud- 
man.  Captain  Proudman  enlisted  May 
26,  1890,  promoted  corporal  June  i, 
1892;  discharged  May  26,  i8q5,  re- 
enlisted  and  reappointed  corporal.  May 
26.  1895;  promoted  sergeant  Jan.  i,  1897; 
discharged,  re-enlisted  and  reappointed 
May  26,  1897;  promoted  first  sergeant 
August  12,  1898;  appointed  first  lieu- 
tenant March  i,  1900;  appointed  captain 
January   16,   1906. 

COLONEL    J.WIES    CEDDES. 

Enlisted  in  Company  A,  Second  reg- 
iment, Waterbury,  on  June  6,  1887, 
and   rapidly   rose  to   tne   rank   of  ser- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


20 1 


geant.  Second  lieutenant,  November 
23,  1S91;  first  lieutenant,  January  2, 
1893;  captain,  March  15,  1893;  major, 
December  5,  1899;  lieutenant  colonel, 
January  10,  1901.  On  the  death  of 
Theodore    Sucher     last    year    he     was 


CAPT.  GEO.  E.  HALL. 

elected    commander    or     the    regiment 
on  January  4  of  the  present  year. 

LIEUT.    COL.    CHAKLES    P.    m'cAHE. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, January  28,  1884,  and  rose 
from  the  ranks  until  June  29,  1891, 
when  he  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant;  first  lieutenant,  October 
27,  1891;  captain.  May  10,  1893;  major, 
August  3,  1900.  Was  promoted  to 
lieutenant  colonel  on  me  election  of 
Colonel  Geddes. 

MAJOR    JOHN    y.    TILSON. 

Enlisted  in  Company  P,  Second  reg- 
iment, January  1,  189s,  and  got  leave 
of  absence  during  time  of  Spanish- 
American  war,  when  he  acted  as  sec- 
ond lieutenant  in  the  sixth  U.  S.  Vol. 
Infantry.  Was  honorably  discharged 
September  20,  1898,  and  re-enlisted  in 


Company  F,  October  1,  i898.  Elected 
captain  of  Company  D,  the  Blues, 
May  18,  1899,  and  major  of  the  Sec- 
ond regiment,  January  lO,  1901. 

MAJOR    HENRY    NORTON,   JR. 

Enlisted  in  Company  K,  Second  reg- 
iment, August  17,  1883.  Rose  from 
ranks  and  was  commissioned  second 
lieutenant  September  i8,  1888.  Re- 
signed June  17,  1891.  Commissioned 
second  lieutenant  November  17,  1891; 
first  lieutenant,  Novemoer  24,  1896; 
captain.  December  1,  1898,  and  major, 
December  14,  1904. 

MAJOR    ERNEST     L.     ISBELL. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, May  13,  1889;  second  lieuten- 
ant, July  6,  1899;    first  lieutenant,  Oc- 


CAPT.    GEORGE    KRAFT. 

tober    19,    1899;    captain,    January    31> 
1901;   major,  January  14,  1906. 

CAPT.    THOMAS    T.     WELLES. 

Private  Battery  D,  Third  Infantry, 
April  4,  1871;  first  sergeant  Company 
F,  First  regiment,  August  1,  1871; 
first  lieutenant,  November  21,  1881; 
resigned,  February  3,  1885;  captain 
and   adjutant.   Second   regiment,  April 


202 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


2,  1885;  major,  July  1,  1889;  resigned, 
January  22,  1890;  captain  and  adju- 
tant, July  10,  1893. 

CAPT.     JAMES    F.     KANE. 

Enlisted  in  Company  C,  Second 
regiment,  June  1,  1897;  first  lieuten- 
ant, January  29,  1901;  captain  and 
quartermaster,  July  5,  1901. 

CAPT.    CHAUNCEY    P.    GOSS,    JR. 

Enlisted  in  Company  A,  Second  reg- 


tant,  November  22,  j,s96;  resigned, 
January  23,  1901,  and  on  January  l^ 
of  the  same  year  was  appointed  pay- 
master, with  the  rank  or  captain. 

FIRST    LIEUT.     JOHN     G.     KRAFT. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, November  5,  1894,  and  rose 
from  ranks  until  he  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant.  Commissioned 
first  lieutenant,  Battalion  adjutant, 
July  1,  1903. 


RESIDENCE  OF  MRS.  11.  M.  BILLARD. 


iment,  November  1,  1899;  corporal 
non-commissioned  staff,  January  24, 
1901;  first  lieutenant,  commissary, 
July  16,  1901;  captain  and  commis- 
sary, December  31,  1903. 

CAPT.     DWIGHT    E.     I?0\VERS. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, July  22,  1891,  and  was  made 
battalion  sergeant  major  July  22, 
1896;    first   lieutenant,   Battalian   adju- 


FIRST    LIEUT.    JOHN    R.     NORTH. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, November  9,  1898,  corporal 
non-commissioned  staff,  July  15,  1901; 
first  lieutenant,  Battalion  adjutant, 
July   23,   1904. 

SECOND  LIEUT.    A.   C.    HITCHCOCK. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, January  17,  i894,  and  re- 
mained   until    Novemuer    6.    1895.    En- 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


20- 


listed  in  Company  A,  October  31, 
1903;  second  lieutenant,  Battalioft 
quartermaster,  December  15,  1903. 

SECOND    LIEUT.    JAMES    I.    WEBB. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  reg- 
iment, July  10,  1902;  second  lieuten- 
ant, quartermaster  Battalion,  Janu- 
ary  14,   1904. 


LIEUT.   COL.   CHAS.   P.   M'CABE. 

SECOND   LIEUT.    A.    D.    BLAKESLEE. 

Enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second  reg- 
iment, January  18,  19U4;  commission- 
ed second  lieutenant  ana  quartermas- 
ter of  Battalion,  January  23,  1904  . 

COL.   JOHN    H.   BARIO. 

Colonel  John  H.  Bario.  the  only  col- 
onel from  Meriden  who  ever  command- 
ed the  Second  regiment,  dropped  dead 
at  his  home,  Butler  and  Hanover  streets, 
this  city  at  io:io  o'clock  on  Saturday 
morning,  January  2,  1892.  Death  was 
due  to  apoplexy  and  the  shocking  an- 
nouncement startled  the  community. 
He  had  not  been  a  well  man  for  over 
a  week  but  to  all  his  friends  he  suc- 
ceeded in  concealing  evidences  of  his 
illness.  On  the  night  previous  to  his 
death  he  and  several  friends  called  upon 
Mayor-elect  Tracy  and  a  very  pleasant 


hour  was  spent  in  which  Col.  Bario 
was  the  life  of  the  party. 

The  next  morning  he  complained  to 
his  wife  of  severe  pains  in  his  stomach 
and  Dr.  Hughes  was  sununoned.  After 
prescribing  for  his  patient  the  physi- 
cian went  to  the  kitchen  for  some  hot 
water.  He  had  hardly  left  the  room 
han  Col.  Bario,  who  had  been  as- 
sisted to  bed,  showed  signs  of  exhaus- 
tion. Dr.  Hughes  and  Dr.  Bradstreet, 
who  had  been  summoned  in  the  case, 
and  Mrs.  Bario  went  to  his  aid  and  he 
was  again  placed  in  bed.  But  the 
stroke  had  come  and  the  kind-hearted 
husband  lay  dead  in  his  wife's  arms. 
Both  physicians  said  that  death  was 
caused  by  apoplexy,  due  to  the  burst- 
ing of  a  blood  vessel. 

John  H.  Bario  was  born  in  Middle- 
town   in    1845.     His  education   was     ob- 


CAPT.  JAS.  F.   KANE. 

tained  in  the  public  schools  of  Middle- 
town,  Williamsburg,  N.  Y.,  and  Hart- 
ford. When  he  came  to  Meriden  in 
1859  he  was  a  young  man  of  fine  ap- 
pearance and  soon  made  himself  popu- 
lar. 

When    the    first    call    was    made    for 
troops  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil 


204 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


war  was  ready  to  respond.  He  en- 
listed Aug.  24,  1861,  in  Co.  C,  Seventh 
C-  Vv  was  mustered  in  September  6 
of  the  same  year,  re-enlisted  as  a  vet- 
eran December  22,  1863,  was  promoted 
April  6,  1864,  and  mustered  out  July  20, 
1865.  He  had  served  through  the  war 
and  was  honorably  discharged  with  the 
rank   of   corporal. 


CAPT.  W.   B.  SPENCER. 

During  the  last  two  years  of  service 
he  was  aide-de-camp  to  Gen.  Hawley 
and  frequently  had  Gen.  Hawley  com- 
mended him  for  his  marked  ability  in 
the   discharge   of   his   duties. 

His  title  of  colonel  was  obtained  in 
1874  when  he  received  the  appointment 
as  the  head  of  the  Second  regiment, 
C.  N.  G.  As  he  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Eaton  Guard,  Co.  I,  of 
this  town,  the  appointment  gave  general 
satisfaction.  He  was  popular  as  town 
and  city  clerk.  He  was  elected  to  the 
former  office  October  i.  1866,  and  was 
Meriden's  first  city  clerk,  being  chosen 
August  12,  t866,  and  served  until  May 
2Q,  1873.  Again  December  6,  1873,  he 
was  chosen  and  served  until  December 
19.   1876. 

He  was  a  Republican  until  1874  when 
he  joined  the  Democrats  and  he  at  once 


iJ^came  a  more  pronounced  favorite 
with  that  party  than  with  the  other.  In 
1888  he  was  made  a  post  office  inspector. 
While  in  that  branch  of  the  government 
service  he  made  a  brilliant  record.  On 
New  Year's  day,  1892,  he  received  no- 
tice of  his  dismissal.  No  reason  was 
given  as  to  the  course.  His  dismissal 
was  as  unexpected  to  him  as  it  was  to 
his  friends.  "I  suppose  it  was  politics," 
he  said-  '"A  presidential  election  com- 
ing on  and   I  could  not  be  assessed.'' 

Col.  Bario  was  a  member  of  Meridian 
lodge.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Kevstone  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M.,  Myrtle  Lodge,  K.  of  P.. 
Merriam  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  Meriden  Coun- 
cil, Chosen  Friends,  Meriden  lodge  of 
Elks  and  Meriden  Mutual  Aid. 

CAPT.   GEO.   C.   ABBOTT,  CO.   K. 

George  C  Abbott,  captain  of  Com- 
pany   K,    Second    Regiment,    C.    N.    G., 


CAPT.    HI'NRY    CARri-:R. 

of  Wallingford.  has  been  a  member  of 
that  organization  for  thirteen  years  and 
is  now  serving  his  third  consecutive 
year  as  the  head  of  that  company.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  K  on  June  2,  1893, 
and  served  three  years  as  a  private.  He 
re-enlisted  on  February  14,  1897,  and 
was  appointed  corporal   on   April  21   of 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


205 


the  following  year.  He  was  elected 
second  lieutenant  December  i,  1898,  and 
on  Jime  20,  1899,  he  was  chosen  first 
lieutenant  of  the  company.  He  served 
in  that  office  for  five  years  and  on  Jan- 
uary 5,  1904,  the  company  elected  him 
as  their  captain.  At  one  time  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Hubbard  Hose  com- 
pany  of   Wallingford   and   is   at  present 


MAJOR  JOS.  M.  TOWNSEND. 

a  member  of  Court  Robert  Wallace,  A. 
O.  F.,  of  that  town.  He  was  born  in 
Milford,  Conn.,  and  took  up  his  res- 
idence  in   Wallingford,   August  4,    1889. 

CAPT.     DANIEL    FITzPATRICK,     CO.     G. 

Enlisted  in  Company  G,  July  30,  1883; 
second  lieutenant  October  ig,  1886; 
first  lieutenant  November  15,  1887;  cap- 
tain  February  3,   1899. 

CAPT.    JOSEPH     DECANTILLON,    CO.    L. 

Enlisted  in  Troop  I,  Fifth  U.  S.  Cav- 
alry, June  14,  1898;  discharged  at  Por- 
to Rico,  May  2,  1899.  Enlisted  in  Co. 
T,  Second  Infantry,  March  3,  1901  ;  ap- 
pointed corporal  in  1901  ;  appointed  cap- 
tain of  Co.  L,  Nov.   10,   1903. 

MAJOR    JOSEPH     H.     TOWNSEND. 

Major  Townsend  is  a  New  Haven 
boy,  born   and  bred.     He  is  a  graduate 


of  the  Yale  Medical  school  and  at  pres- 
ent is  the  secretary  of  the  state  board 
of  health.  On  July  i,  1891,  he  enlisted 
in  Co.  F,  Second  Regiment.  Was  ap- 
pointed assistant  surgeon  by  Captain 
John  B.  Doherty,  in  September,  1892, 
and  surgeon,  with  the  rank  of  major, 
by  Col.  Lucien  F.  Burpee.  June  11,  1896. 
He  has  since  held  that  office. 

LIEUT.     EDWARD     S.      MOULTON. 

Lieut.  Molton  is  a  native  of  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Yale  Medical  school  of  the  class  of 
1894.  On  November  19,  1895,  he  en- 
listed in  Co.  F,  Second  regiment,  and 
was   appointed   assistant   surgeon   of  the 


CAPT.  E.  S.  MOULTON. 

regiment  on  Jan.  1,  1904.  He  will  soon 
be  the  surgeon  general  of  the  state  bri- 
gade. 

CAPT.    ARNON    A.    ALLING,    CO.    D. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  November  7, 
1897,  second  lieutenant  Co.  D,  Jan- 
uary 31,  1901  ;  captain,  January  14,  1906. 

CAPT.    GEO.    E.    HALL,    CO.    E. 

Enlisted  Company  F,  January  21, 
1896;    second    lieutenant    Company      E, 


2o6 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


E,  March  31,  1898;  first  lieutenant,  July 
5,  1898;  captain,  April  30,  1901. 

CAPT    EDW.    0.    GRUENER,    CO.    F. 

Enlisted  in  Company  F,  August  12, 
1886;  corporal  July  30,  1890;  dis- 
charged and  re-enlisted  August  12,  1891 ; 
sergeant  and  discharged  August  12, 
1893 ;    sergeant   and    discharged    August 

12,  1893,  and  re-enlisted;  sergeant  No- 
vember 5,  1893 ;  discharged  and  re-en- 
listed August  19,  1895;  sergeant  June  i, 

13,  1898;  second  lieutenant  September 
1897 ;  discharged  and  re-enlisted  March 
7,  1898;  first  lieutenant,  November  9, 
1898;  captain,  September  5,  1900. 

CAPT.    WM.    B.     SPENCER,    CO.    C. 

Enlisted  in  Co.  C,  April  2,  1897;  cor- 
poral Feb.  12,  1898;  sergeant  March  i, 
1899;  second  lieutenant,  May  11,  1899; 
first  lieutenant,  June  12,  1903;  captain, 
December  i,  1903. 

CAPT.     FRANK     PAULV,     CO.     B. 

Enlisted  in  Company  B,  Second  Reg- 
iment, May  II,  1892;  corporal  July  22, 
1895;  sergeant,  February  6,  1896;  dis- 
charged May  II,  1897,  snd  re-enlisted 
on  same  date;  first  sergeant  November 
17,  1897;  second  lieutenant,  December 
7,  1898;  first  lieutenant,  January  19, 
1899;   captain   December   13,   1899. 

CAPT.   HENRY  B.  CARTER,  CO.  A. 

Enlisted  in  Co.  A,  Dec  24,  1883 ; 
corpora],  Aug.  12,  1885  sergeant,  Nov. 
15,  1888;  discharged  Dec.  24,  1888,  and 
re-enlisted  on  same  date;  first  sergeant 


Aug.  9  ,1890;  discharged  Dec.  24,  1890, 
and  re-enlisted  on  same  date;  sergeant 
major  March   11,   1891 ;   second  lieuten- 


CAPT.  G.  E.  ABBOTT. 


ant  Co.  A., 
ant,  March 
i8q9. 


Jan.   2  ,1893;    first  lieuten- 
15.    1893;    captain   Dec.   26, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS 


Founded  on  the  love  which  Damon 
had  for  Pythias,  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias were  organized  in  Washington,  D. 
C,  on  February  19  ,1864,  by  Justus  H. 
Rathbone,  a  government  official.  He 
saw  in  that  time  of  carnage  and  death 
the  germ  of  an  order  that  should  prove 
a  power  in  dispelling  the  warmth  of  sec- 
tional strife  and  restoring  the  health  of 
men  to  a  basis  of  universal  brotherhood. 
For  years  the  fires  burned  low  upon  the 
altars  of  the  young  and  struggling 
brotherhood,  but  as  time  passed  the  or- 
der grew  until  it  now  has  gained  a  per- 
manent   foothold    in    everv   state    in    tlic 


Union  and  has  even  gone  beyond  the 
seas :  there  are  lodges  in  England. 

In  a  short  time  after  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  was  organized  there  were  only 
three  subordinate  lodges  with  only  sev- 
enty-eight members.  The  brotherhood 
appealed  so  strongly  to  the  young  men 
of  the  country  that  it  rapidly  grew  in 
favor  until  at  the  present  time  there  are 
at  least  600,000  members  in  good  stand- 
ing. 

The  intentions  of  the  order  are  to 
visit  the  sick,  relieve  the  distressed;  to 
watch  over  the  dying;  to  bury  the  dead; 
to  comfort  the  widow  in  her  affliction  ; 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


207 


to  exercise  a  guardianship  over  the  or- 
phans ;  and.  in  fact,  to  fully  follow  out 
the  Golden  Rule :  "Whatsoever  we 
would  that  men  should  do  unto  us  and 
•ours,  do  we  even  so  unto  them." 

It  is  a  secret  organization — the  sec- 
ret of  a  family  circle — for  the  purpose 
•of  protecting  those  who  join  its  ranks,  in 


C.   E.   SHIVELY, 
Supreme  Chancellor  Knights  of  Pythias 


order  that  they  may  know  one  another — 
the  talismanic  Brotherhood  of  Knights 
■of  Friendship.  By  no  means  is  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  a  labor  union.  It 
takes  no  part  in  disputes  between  em- 
ployer and  employe.  In  the  lodge  room 
millionaire,  laborer,  mechanic  and  pro- 
fessional man  meet  upon  the  broad  and 
level  plain  of  equality.  Each  deposits, 
as  in  a  safety  fund,  his  monthly  contri- 
Tjution  and  thereby  secures  a  sufficiency 
to  meet  the  wants  and  rigors  of  winter. 
It  is  also  the  aim  of  the  order  to  se- 
cure employment  for  such  of  the  mem- 
bers as  who  may  be  without  it.  Sect 
or  religion  does  not  count.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  that  an  applicant  should  be 
a  white  male  and  believe  in  the  Father- 
liood  of  the  Lord  and  the   Brotherhood 


of  Man.  The  motto  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  is  "Friendship,  Charity  and 
Benevolence." 

The  membership  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  extends  over  the  best  part  of 
this  continent.  There  are  fifty-four 
Grand  domains,  having  a  total  of  6,008 
subordinate  lodges,  with  a  membership 
of  over  443,615  loyal  knights.  In  ad- 
dition there  is  a  uniform  rank  of  twen- 
ty-one brigades,  of  ninety-two  regiments 
with  an  addition  of  nineteen  corporate 
regiments,  with  a  total  uniformed  mem- 
bership   of    about    50,000. 

There  is  also  in  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias an  endowment  or  insurance  rank 
with  2,355  sections,  with  a  membership 
of  37,000.  The  endowment  rank  is  rap- 
idly meeting  with  favor  and  the  mem- 
bership   is    constantly    increasing. 


J.    S.    STOKES, 
Brigadier   General   U.   R.   K.   P. 

In  this  state  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
is  popular.  There  are  fifty-five  subor- 
dinate lodges  with  a  membership  of 
nearly  6,000.  These  lodges  have  cash 
on  hand  to  the  amount  of  $47,182  and 
total  assets  of  $56,378.88.  Thousands  of 
dollars  are  paid  out  each  year  in  relief 
funds. 


208 


C:-:xti-:nxi.\[,  of  .Mi:i;iui::x. 


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CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


209 


There  is  also  in  the  state  a  brigade 
of  the  uniform  rank  consisting  of  two 
regiments  of  twenty  divisions  and  a 
membership  of  800.  There  are  twenty- 
hve  sections  of  the  endowment  rank  in 
the  state.  At  the  present  time  it  costs 
from   $10   to   $25   to   join   the   order. 


COL.   C.   K.   PEARSON. 

The  intention  of  the  body  is  to  dis- 
seminate and  teach  to  all  mankind,  who 
are  worthy  and  will  listen,  the  doctrines 
and  precepts  that  are  the  foundation  of 
this  order,  and  by  doing  so  give  to 
these  principles  their  true  meaning  and 
widest  application.  A  true  knight  is  a 
friend  of  his  brother  knight,  and  will 
ever  aid  him  in  all  worthy  efforts.  Char- 
ity is  the  perfection  of  friendship,  and 
without   it   friendship   is   of   little   worth. 

The  benevolence  of  the  order  and  of 
its  friendship,  challenges  the  admira- 
tion of  the  world,  and  merits  the  grati- 
tude of  the  widow  and  the  orphan.  One 
of  the  strongest  features  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  is  the  endowment 
rank.  It  is  the  beneficial  branch  of  the 
order,  providing  a  cheap,  equitable  and 
perfectly  reliable  endowment  of  $1,000, 
$2,000  or  $3,000  to  members  of  the  or- 
der  exclusively   who   are   not   over   fiftv 

14 


years  of  age.  It  is  endowed  by  and  un- 
der the  Supreme  lodge  of  the  world. 
The  endowments  are  paid  in  full  im-- 
mediately  upon  the  receipts  of  proof  of 
death. 

GEN.     JOSEPH      S.      STOKES. 

Joseph  Stephen  Stokes,  brigadier  gen- 
eral of  the  Uniform  Rank,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  past  eminent  commander  of 
St.  Elmo  commandery,  Knights  Tem- 
plar, was  born  on  Wednesday,  June  8, 
1845,  in  England.  He  is  the  son  of  Ste- 
phen and  Martha  (Birch)  Stokes,  and 
his  father,  an  industrious  gun-lock  mak- 
er, who  came  to  this  country  with  his  es- 
timable wife  and  small  children,  to  take 
an  important  position  in  the  works  of 
the  Wesson  Fire  Arms  company,  at 
Springfield,  in  1867.  Some  years  later 
he  came  to  Meriden,  and  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  son  at  the  Parker  Gun 
shop,   where   he   continued    until   his   re- 


^^^^^^ 

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jiLkliH}ilflE^"''jStfn^ffl 

IPH 

1 

CAPT.    A.    B.    SMITH. 

tirement  from  active  labor.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  1887,  and  was  followed  by 
the  death  of  his  estimable  wife  two  years 
later. 

Joseph  S.  Stokes  received  a  thorough 
training  in  the  "three  R's"  and  at  an 
earlv  age   began   to   learn   the  trade   of 


FACTORY   E.    INTERNATIONAL    SILVER    CO. 


I-ACIORV    i;,    l\  IKKXATIONAL    SILVER    CO. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


211 


gun-lock  maker.  Under  his  father's 
guidance  he  became  a  skilled  workman, 
and  before  he  had  been  employed  at  the 
bench  a  great  many  years  became  a  con- 
tractor at  the  shops  in  his  native  town. 
It  was  in  1869  that  he  came  to  this 
country  and  to  Meriden,  where  he  read- 


COL.    G.    .\.    STURDY. 

ily  secured  a  position  in  the  Parker 
Bros.'  gun  shops.  His  skill  as  a  me- 
chanic and  reliability  were  at  once  rec- 
ognized by  the  concern,  and  within  the 
year  he  was  rewarded  for  his  indus- 
triousness  by  receiving  a  contract.  This 
was  followed  by  others,  and  he  contin- 
ued as  a  contractor  at  the  same  factory 
continuously  from  1879  to  1904,  when  he 
retired  from  active  business  with  a  com- 
petency, and  possessing  the  good  will  of 
the  seventy-five  men  whom  he  employed. 
Having  taken  a  most  responsible  part 
of  the  manufacture  of  the  superior  guns 
made  at  the  large  plant  where  he  de- 
voted so  many  years,  he  is  given  full 
credit  for  earning  a  share  of  the  high 
reputation  of  the  concern  which  it  is 
accorded  by  the  trade. 

Perhaps  no  resident  of  Meriden  is 
more  favorably  known  and  popular  in 
fraternal  organizations  than  he ;  and  this 


is  the  result  of  his  sincere  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  the  several  secret  bodies 
of  which  he  has  been  for  many  years 
affiliated.  He  has  received  the  highest 
honors  within  the  gift  of  the  state  in 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  having  served  as 
grand  chancellor  commander.  He  has 
served  several  different  terms  as  chan- 
cellor commander  of  Myrtle  lodge,  of 
]\Ieriden.  His  interest  in  that  order 
prompted  him  to  form  the  local  com- 
pany of  the  uniform  rank,  and  which 
company  bears  his  name.  In  1901  he 
was  honored  with  the  rank  of  brigadier 
general  of  the  uniform  rank  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  year  1905,  when 
detained  at  home  from  the  effects  of  a 
slight  shock  of  paralysis,  he  has  never 
failed  to  accompany  his  order  to  dis- 
tant cities  upon  all  occasions. 

General    Stokes    has    been     connected 
with    the    different    Masonic   bodies    for 


I  s«:-m:m^v^im^m?m:9m^'^^ms:m^^^mi^ 


COL.    G.    R.    TRYOX. 

many  years,  and  has  been  likewise  hon- 
ored by  that  estimable  order.  He  is  one 
of  the  past  masters  of  Center  lodge,  97, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  past  high  priest  of  Keystone 
chapter,  27,  R.  A.  M.,  a  past  illustrious 
master  of  Hamilton  council,  R.  &  S.  M., 
and    eminent    commander    of    St.    Elmo 


212 


CENTENNIAL  (3F   MEKIDEN. 


commanderv  K.  T.  He  is  a  member  of 
Meriden  lodge,  35,  B.  &  P.  O.  Elks,  of 
which  lodge  he  has  served  as  exalted 
ruler  and  in  addition  to  that  has  held 
the  office  of  district  deputy.  He  is  a 
past  chief,  ranger  of  Court  Excelsior,  6, 
Foresters  of  America,  and  while  a  del- 
egate to  the  national  convention  of  that 


COL.  H.  C.  OSBORNE. 

order  held  in  Detroit,  settled  the  agita- 
tion and  controversy  over  the  color  line. 

Mr.  Stokes  resides  in  his  own  com- 
fortable and  hospitable  home,  at  14 
Queen  street.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  valued  members  of  the  committee 
arranging  the  Centennial  celebration  of 
Meriden,  and  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Committee  on   Parades. 

General  Stokes  became  a  member  of 
Myrtle  lodge,  of  Meriden,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1870.  He  passed  through  all  the 
chairs,  and  for  several  terms  he  held 
the  office  of  chancellor  of  the  lodge. 
He  next  went  into  the  Grand  lodge,  and 
it  was  twenty  years  before  he  accepted 
an  office.  He  was  elected  grand  vice- 
chancellor  on  October  19,  1897,  :it  the 
meeting  of  the  Grand  lodge  in  Now 
Haven.  He  became  grand  chancellor  m 
1898,  and  in  the  following  year  supreme 
representative.        When      the      Uniform 


Rank  was  instituted  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  J.  S.  Stokes  company,  of  this 
city,  and  served  for  years  in  the  rank 
and  file.  He  was  appointed  assistant 
adjutant  general  on  the  brigade  staff  of 
the  state,  and  in  1900  was  elected  briga- 
dier general  of  the  Uniform  Rank  and 
was  re-elected  in  1904.  He  still  holds 
that  position. 

COL.    CHARLES    E.    PEARSON. 

Colonel  Pearson  has  been  a  member 
I  if  the  Knights  of  Pythias  for  the  past 
eighteen  years.  He  has  been  chancellor 
commander  of  the  Naugatuck  lodge  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  lodge.  For 
several  terms  he  has  held  the  office  of 
district  deputy  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Uniform  Rank  since  its  institu- 
tion. 


COL.  W.  E.  THOMS. 

Colonel  Pearson  is  an  ardent  worker 
in  the  interests  of  the  Uniform  Rank  in 
the  domain  of  the  state.  He  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  adjutant  gener;.l  im- 
mediately after  the  death  of  H.  G. 
Bcstor  of  Hartford,  and  was  conmiis- 
sioned  on   November   15,   1905. 

COLONEL    GEORGE    R.    TRVON. 

George  R.  Tryon,  the  commander  of 
the  Second  brigade  of  the  Uniform  Rank 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


213 


of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  is  a  member 
of  Myrtle  lodge  of  ]\Ieriden.  He  has 
been  an  active  worker  in  the  oVder  for 
the  past  twenty  j'ears  and  always  has 
the  interests  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  heart. 

He   is   a  member  of  the  Grand   lodge 
and   is   now   serving  as  master  of  work 


CAPT.   J.   A.   WIGNALL. 

in  the  lodge.  He  has  filled  several 
positions  in  the  Uniformed  Rank.  As 
colonel  of  the  Second  regiment  he  has 
won  the  admiration  of  his  associates  and 
commendation  of  his  superior  officers. 

CAPTAIN     A.     B.     SMITH. 

Captain  A.  B.  Smith  is  a  comparative- 
ly new  officer  on  the  brigade  roster  of 
the  Second  regiment  of  the  Uniformed 
Rank  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  For 
the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been  an  ac- 
tive worker  in  the  Pythian  brotherhood. 
He  has  made  a  good  record  and  his  rep- 
utation is  of  the  best  in  the  state. 

He  is  genial,  kind  and  modest  in  his 
manner  and  has  hundreds  of  friends  in 
and  out  of  the  order. 

CAPTAIN    JOHN    KAY. 

John  Kay  is  the  captain  of  the  J.  S. 
Stokes  company  of  this  city.  He  was 
bom  here  in  1878  and  attended  the  pub- 


lic schools.  During  the  Hispano-Amer- 
ican  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  L. 
With  that  organization  he  went  to  Fort 
Knox,  on  the  coast  of  Maine,  and  from 
there  to  Virginia.  When  he  was  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  he  returned  to 
Meriden  and  enlisted  in  Company  I  six 
A'ears  ago.  He  became  a  member  of 
Myrtle  lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  in 
1891.  At  the  present  time  he  is  the 
chancellor  commander  of  that  lodge. 
He  is  a  manly  young  man  with  a  frank 
and  open  countenance  and  is  sure  to 
be  heard  from  later  in  the  ranks  of 
Pythianhood.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Veteran  Hose  company  and  at  present 
is  in  the  employ  of  the  Britannia  com- 
pany. 

HORACE    O.    C.\SE.    G.     K.    R.    AND    S. 

Horace  O.  Case,  of  Hartford,  is  be- 
yond all  question,  the  most  popular  man 
in  the  Knights  of  Pythias  in  this  state. 


HORACE  O.  CASE. 

He  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  friend- 
ship. For  more  than  twenty-five  years 
he  has  held  his  present  office  in  the 
order  of  which  he  is  a  shining  mark. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  Grand  lodge  in 
1879  he  was  elected  grand  keeper  of 
records  and  seals  and  each  year  there- 
after he  has  been  re-elected,  not  a  can- 


214 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


didate  for  that  arduous  office  appear- 
ing against  him.  He  was  introduced  to 
the  mysteries  and  benefits  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  in  Washington 
lodge  of  Hartford.  He  passed  through 
chairs  and  was  then  chosen  to  his  pres- 
ent position.  He  is  sure  to  be  re- 
elected at  the  next  annual  assembly  of 
the  Grand  lodge. 

ADJT.      AND     CATT.      WIGNALL. 

James  A.   Wignall,  captain  and   adju- 


a  staff  appointment  under  the  late  reg- 
imental commander  and  was  appointed 
adjutant,  with  rank  of  captain  under 
Colonel  George  H.  C.  Osborn,  of  Nor- 
wich. 

COLONEL     GEORGE      H.      C.      OSBORN. 

In  Pythian  circles,  Colonel  Osborn 
has  always  been  active  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  order.  He  became  a 
member  of  Wauregan  lodge.  No.  46,  of 
Norwich,   and    rose   to   be   past   chancel- 


CURTIS  HOUSE,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


tant  of  the  First  regiment  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  became  a  member 
of  the  order  when  he  joined  the  Joseph 
T.  Dowdall  lodge,  of  Bridgeport.  He 
filled  various  positions  in  the  subordi- 
nate lodge  and  became  a  member  of  T. 
M.  Smith  Co.,  No.  4,  of  that  city.  In 
a  short  time  he  became  its  captain  but 
retired  a  few  years  ago.  He  is  a  mem- 
JK-r   of    the    Grand    lodge.     He    received 


lor  which  position  of  trust  he  occupied 
for  several  years.  He  served  in  the 
uniformed  rank  as  battalion  major.  His 
extreme  courtesy,  geniality  and  evident 
desire  to  build  up  the  order  to  the 
highest  plane,  and  especialh'  the  First 
regiment,  resulted  in  his  being  elected 
at  the  last  assembly  as  colonel  of  that 
body.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
lodge. 


CEXTEXXIAL   OF   MERIDEX. 


2i: 


COL.     GEORGE     A.      STURDY. 

The  record  of  Colonel  George  A. 
Sturdy,  assistant  quartermaster  general 
on  the  brigade  staff  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  in  the  order  has  been  one  of 
exceeding  usefulness  ever  since  he  be- 
came a  member  of  Trumbull  lodge  of 
New  London.  He  became  chancelllor 
commander  of  that  lodge  which  he  rep- 
resented in  the  Grand  lodge.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  has  been  active  in  frater- 
nal correspondence.  As  battalion  adju- 
tant of  the  First  regiment,  his  ability 
and  work  attracted  the  attention  and 
commendation  of  his  superior  officers. 
It  resulted  in  his  appointment  on  the 
brigade   staff. 


GRAND     CHANCELLOR     THOMS. 

William  E.  Thoms,  the  present  may- 
or of  Waterbury  ,is  the  grand  chan- 
cellor of  the  Grand  lodge  of  the 
Knights  of  P3-thias  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  elected  to  that  exalted  position  in 
Knighthood  at  the  last  annual  session 
of  the  Grand  lodge  held  in  Waterbury 
on  October  17,  1905.  Grand  Chancellor 
Thoms  was  created  a  knight  in  Com- 
stock  lodge  and  passed  through  the  sev- 
eral chairs.  He  was  elected  grand  out- 
er guard  of  the  Grand  lodge  in  1900. 
His  progression  was  rapid  until  his  elec- 
tion to  his  present  office.  His  term  will 
expire  at  the  annual  assembly  of  the 
Grand  lodge  in  October  of  this  vear. 


THIRD  ANNUAL  ENCAMPMENT 
OF  THE  UNITED   SPANISH  WAR  VETERANS 


The  third  annual  encampment  of  the 
Connecticut  department  of  the  United 
Spanish  War  Veterans  was  concluded 
here  in  the  afternoon.  Seventy  delegates 
attended  the  encampment,  which  began 
Wednesday,  and  the  Centennial  made 
their   visit   a   most   enjoyable   one. 

The  following  were  elected  for  the 
ensuing    year : 

Department  commander — Major  John 
Q.    Tilson,    New    Haven. 

Senior  vice  commander — H.  H.  Saun- 
ders,   Hartford. 

Junior  vice  commander — S.  E.  ^lag- 
son,    Hartford. 

Judge  advocate — F.  E.  Johnson, 
Hartford. 

Chaplain — C.    S.   Bullock.   Stratford. 


Surgeon — Dr.  J.  W.  Wright,  Bridge- 
port. 

Inspector — Irving  D.  Wilmot,  Nor- 
walk. 

Council  of  administration — H.  N. 
Godfrey,  Norwalk;  W.  J.  Rawlings, 
New  Britain ;  Charles  Anders,  Bridge- 
port ;  Harvey  A.  Leonard,  New  Haven  : 
N.  G.  Valentine.  Hartford;  Charles 
Gollnick,    Meriden. 

Delegates  to  National  encampment — ■ 
F.  E.  Johnson,  Hartford ;  Fred  A.  Hill, 
Norwalk ;  F.  S.  Cornwell,  New  Ha- 
ven;  B.  S.  Honce,  Branford ;  W.  W. 
Bullen,  New  Britain ;  E  G.  D3-gert,  Nor- 
wich ;  W.  H.  Rees,  IMeriden ;  Ernest  P. 
Leonard.  Bridgeport;  H.  H.  Saunders, 
Hartford. 


2l6 


CKXTKXXIAL  OF   MKRIDFX. 


Friday,  June  15     Wallingford  Day 


While  the  spectacular  features  were 
not  so  much  in  evidence  to-day  and  the 
crowds  were  not  quite  as  large  as  yes- 
terday still  the  interest  in  the  big  Cen- 
tennial events  of  the  week  kept  up  to 
the  highest  pitch.  The  arrival  of  the 
famed  Putnam  Phalanx  at  noon  was  an 
event  and  they  were  warmly  cheered  as 
they   got    off   the    train. 

Wallingford  day  meant  an  elaborate 
programme  of  addresses  which  were 
given  in  the  afternoon  at  the  First  Con- 
gregational church.  These  exercises 
were  particularly  appropriate  as  the 
Centennial  celebration  here  marks  the 
setting  off  of  the  Town  of  Meriden  from 
Wallingford. 

Organist  W.  P.  Vinal  played  an  mi- 
troduction,  which  he  followed  with  the 
grand  old  hymn,  Coronation,  sung  by 
the  audience.  The  invocation  was  then 
given  by  Rev.  John  J.  Blair,  pastor  of 
the  First  Congregational  church,  of 
Wallingford. 

Rev.  Joseph  E.  Wildman  gave  a  most 
interesting  summary  of  early  church 
life  in  Wallingford  under  the  heading  of 
"Sketches  of  the  Three  Colonial 
Churches    in    Wallingford." 

E.  R.  Brown,  of  Cheshire,  gave  a 
summary  of  Cheshire's  affiliation  with 
the  town  of  Meriden.  He  spoke  on 
■'Glimpses  of  Cheshire's  Early  History 
and  Representative   Men." 

Mr.  Vinal  gave  another  organ  volun- 
tary and  this  was  followed  by  an  ad- 
dress by  Judge  Leverett  M.  Hubbard,  of 
W^allingford,  who  spoke  upon  "Walling- 
ford in  the  Revolutionary  Period." 

A  son  of  Wallingford  who  has  done 
great  things  as  a  soldier  and  who  is 
now  living  at  Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  Gen- 
eral Henry  B.  Carrington,  gave  a  remi- 
niscent address  on  "Wallingford  Life 
and   Gossip  of  Seventy  Years   Ago." 

The  audience  united  in  singing 
America  and  the  benediction  was  pro- 
nounced  bv   Rev.    Mr.    Blair. 


ADDRESS  BY  R]<:V.  J.  E.  WILDMAN 

When,  in  the  providence,  of  God,  it 
became  expedient  for  our  remoter  an- 
cestors to  leave  old  England,  cross 
what,  compared  with  the  present,  was 
an  almost  trackless  sea,  in  order  to 
found  new  homes  in  this  new  world, 
we  have  reason  to  be  thankful  that 
those  who  selected  what  we  know  as 
Connecticut,  and  particularly  that  por- 
tion which  is  near  to  us,  were  largely 
from  the  yeomanry  of  the  mother 
country,  and  so  of  a  class  which  would 
not  be  easily  intimidated  by,  nor  dis- 
couraged at  the  sight  of  difficulties. 

To  leave  their  native  land,  and  un- 
dertake a  perilous  journey  of  such 
distance,  in  order  to  clear  a  stubborn 
wilderness,  and  erect  new  homes  un- 
der the  dithculties  and  privations  inci- 
dent to  the  task,  called  for  men  of  the 
most  sterling  quality  and  of  strenu- 
ous endurance.  They  were  not  gov- 
erned by  a  mad  thirst  for  gold,  nor 
did  they  plan  great  business  enter- 
prises. 

Their  primary  object  was  to  estab- 
lish new  homes,  and  found  new  towns, 
which  were  ultimately  to  merge  into  a 
new  commonwealth.  All  that  is  im- 
plied in  this  required  of  them  the  po- 
session  which  they  proved  to  have  had 
of  the  stuff  from  which  heroes  and 
martyrs  are  made. 

But  another  quality  was  found  in 
them,  and  that  to  an  eminent  degree. 
They  were  a  God  fearing  people.  More- 
over, they  were  as  strenuous  and 
thorough-going  in  their  religious  views 
and  life,  as  they  were  in  other  matters. 
This  is  shown  particularly  in  the  very 
earliest  stages  of  the  settlement  of 
Wallingford,  and  while  they  were 
clearing  the  forests  and  erecting 
abodes  for  their  families.  The  town 
was  settled  from  New  Haven  in  KiTO. 
One  of  their  first    cares  was  to   make 


CEXTF.NNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


217 


provisioin  for  the  church  of  God  and 
the  otHces  thereof.  And  so  in  their 
inchoate  state,  they  secured  the  ser- 
vices of  a  young  man  from  New  Ha- 
ven, by  name  of  John  Harriman,  who 
ministered  to  them  in  the  matters  of 
religion  for  the  space  of  two  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  planta- 
tion covenant,  and  a  graduate  of  Har- 
vard college.  The  first  settled  pastor 
was  the  Rev.  Samuel  Street,  who  came 
in  ir)72.  Samuel  Street  was  the  son 
of  Nicholas  Street,  who  was  for  some 
time  assistant  to,  and  who  succeeded 
John  Davenport  as  sole  minister  in 
Centre  church.  New  Haven.  Samuel 
Street  followed  Mr.  Harriman,  and  be- 


REV 


W'lLDMAX. 


came  the  first  settled  minister  of  the 
church  in  Wallingford,  on  the  organi- 
zation of  the  church.  He  was  or- 
dained in  1675  and  remained  pastor 
of  the  church  until  he  died  in  1717. 
Mr.  Street  was  graduated  from  Har-. 
vard  in  1G04.  He  was  40  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Wallingford,  and 
therefore  his  period  of  service  was  4.j 
years,  42  of  which  he  was  the  ordain- 
ed pastor. 

In  connection  with  Mr.  Street's  set- 
tlement over  the  church  in  Walling- 
ford, the  .records  disclose  a  very  inter- 
esting and  suggestive  fact  bearing  up- 
on the  character  and  disposition  of 
these    early    and    hardy     colonists    of 


Wallingford.  Not  only  was  it  voted 
to  send  ox  teams  to  the  head  of  Tide 
Water,  to  receive  and  bring  his  goods 
to  town,  but  at  a  court  of  election  held 
at  Hartford,  May  12,  1081,  the  court, 
for  the  encouragement  of  Mr.  Street, 
granted  him  under  certain  conditions, 
two  hundred acresof  land, besides  which 
there  was  alotted  to  him  a  house  lot 
containing  six  acres  of  land.  All  this 
betokens  the  prevalence  of  a  spirit 
among  those  early  settlers,  to  share 
and  share  alike  in  their  dealings  with 
the  clergy. 

Mr.  Street,  becoming  enfeebled,  was 
given,  in  1710,  a  colleague,  in  the  per- 
son of  Samuel  Whittlesey,  who  had 
graduated  five  years  earlier  from  Yale 
college,  and  who  remained  here  unto 
his  death  in  17.")2.  Mr.  Whittlesey  re- 
mained here  forty-two  years. 

Dr.  Chauncey,  of  Boston,  is  said  to 
have  spoken  of  him  as  one  of  the 
greatest  men  in  Connecticut.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  fellow  of  Yale 
college. 

President  Stiles,  in  an  obituary  of 
Mr.  Whittlesey,  published  shortly  after 
his  death,  is  instructive.  "He  minis- 
tered intellectual  food,  and  entertain- 
ed his  audience  with  the  beaten  oil  of 
the  sanctuary." 

After  the  decease  of  Whittlesey 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  contention 
in  the  selection  of  a  successor,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  the  church  was  a 
long  time  without  a  pastor. 

Although  over  twenty  candidates 
had  been  heard,  the  feelings  and  opin- 
ions of  the  people  were  so  divided  that 
they  had  been  unable  to  unite  in  the 
settlement  of  any  one  of  them. 

At  last  a  committee  was  appointed 
with  instructions  to  consult  neighbor- 
ing clergymen  for  advice  in  the  situa- 
tion. The  instructions  were  complied 
with  and  they  were  advised  to  send  to 
Mr.  Holyoke,  president  of  Cambridge 
college,  Mr.  Appleton,  minister  of 
Cambridge,  and  Dr.  Chauncey  of  Bos- 
ton, for  their  direction  to  some  suit- 
able candidate  for  the  ministry  in  said 
Wallingford.  The  result  was  that 
James  Dana,  of  Cambridge,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Harvard  of  the  class  of 
1753,  was  recommended  and  was 
invited  to  visit  Wallingford  to 
preach  as  a  candidate  for  settle- 
ment. He  accepted  the  invitation 
and     after    he     had     preached    a   few 


211 


CEXTEXNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Sabbaths,  both  the  church  and  society, 
with  apparent  harmony,  extended  to 
him  a  call  to  become  their  pastor. 
There  appeared  to  be  a  good  deal  of 
unanimity  in  giving  him  a  call  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry  in  the  society. 
None  appeared  in  opposition,  though 
some  few  of  the  committee  were  not 
satisfied  with  respect  to  his  doctrines 
and   soundness. 

But  all  this  was  little  more  than  a 
lull    before    the    storm.        Church    and 


from  the  first  church,  some  of  whom 
helped  to  organize  what  came  to  be 
known  as  the  Wells'  society.  But  Mr. 
Dana  was  installed  as  pastor,  and  by 
his  ability  as  a  pastor  and  teacher,  he 
largely  overcame  much  of  the  opposi- 
tion, and  after  a  time  many  of  those 
who  had  withdrawn  from  the  first 
church,  came  back  to  the  old  church 
home,  especially  those  who  had  cast 
in  their  lots  with  the  Wells'  society. 
Thus     the     opposition     to  Mr.  Dana 


RESIDENCE  OF  FRANCIS  ATWATER. 


society,  with  apparent  harmony,  unit- 
ed in  giving  Mr.  Dana  a  call,  but  the 
voting  of  the  call  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  the  organization  of  a  strong 
opposition.  It  would  be  hardly  in 
keeping  to  attempt,  in  a  paper  of  this 
brevity,  to  give  a  summary  of  all  that 
happened  in  connection  with  the  set- 
tlement of  Mr.  Dana  as  pastor  of  the 
first  church  of  Christ  in  Wallingford. 
Certainly  a  storm  was  raised  that  ef- 
fected the  religious  world  of  Connecti- 
cut beyond  measure.       Many  withdrew 


gradually  wore  away.  In  17.58  he  was 
called  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Wal- 
lingford, being  then  in  his  23d  year. 
In  17ti8  he  received  the  degree  of  D.  D., 
from  the  university  of  Edinburg.  His 
health  being  impaired,  in  1785 
James  Noyes  was  chosen  as  his  col- 
league, but  the  doctor's  health  was 
soon  after  so  much  restored  that  he 
was  able  to  perform  his  part  of  the 
duties,  both  public  and  private,  with- 
out any  serious  embarrassment.  In 
1789,     being  then     in  his   fifty-fourth 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


219 


year,  Dr.  Dana  was  called  to  the 
charge  of  the  First  church  in  New 
Haven,  in  which  position  he  remained 
sixteen  years  and  a  half — until  1805. 
He  died  in  1812,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven.  James  Noyes,  who  had  been  a 
colleague  of  Dr.  Dana  since  1785,  con- 
tinued in  charge  unitl  1832,  when  his 
relations  were  dissolved  at  his  own 
request,  and  amicably.  He  lived 
twelve  years  after  that  and  died  in 
1844,   aged   seventy-nine   years. 

The  Rev.  B.  R.  Gilbert  succeeded  Mr. 
Noyes,  in  1832,  and  remained  until  his 
death  in  1874,  aged  sixty-six.  Thus  is 
given  a  sketch  of  the  first  Colonial 
church  in  Wallingford,  whose  influ- 
ence for  good  has  been  a  long  and  an 
honorable  one,  and  claims  our  high- 
est  respect   and   congratulations. 

One  unusual  thing  may  be  noticed  in 
closing.  Each  of  the  above  success- 
ive pastors  remained  in  active  charge 
for  a  period  of  over  forty  years. 

SECOND      COLONJAL      CHURCH,. 

We  now  turn  to  briefly  review  the 
story  of  the  second  Colonial  church 
in  Wallingford. 

The  Puritans  were  not  the  only  re- 
ligionists who  sought  homes  in  New 
England,  and  in  Connecticut.  Just 
when  they  came  and  how  many  there 
were,  we  have  no  means  of  telling, 
but  quite  early  in  the  settlement  of 
Wallingford  there  was  quite  a  sprink- 
ling of  those  who  adhered  to  the 
mother  church  of  England.  These 
people  in  conditions  of  life,  as  well 
as  in  character  and  disposition  were 
quite  like  their  neighbors,  saving  in 
religious  views.  They  seemed,  how- 
ever, to  get  along  together  pretty  well. 
But  these  people  were  at  a  disadvan- 
tage in  respect  to  religious  matters. 
The  Congregational  church  was  the 
state  church,  and  was  supported  by 
taxation,  and  these  taxes  were  laid  in- 
differently upon  all  the  citizens.  All 
were  poor  enough  to  feel  the  burden, 
but  the  members  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land felt  it  twice  as  hard.  If  they 
supported  the  services  of  their  own 
church  they  must  pay  a  double  por- 
tion, which,  under  the  circumstances, 
became  burdensome.  They  were  un- 
able to  build  churches  for  themselves, 
and  so  for  a  long  time  their  only  re- 


source was  for  families  to  meet  to- 
gether on  the  Lord's  day  at  some  ac- 
cessible private  house  and  have  lay 
services.  But  on  the  11th  of  May, 
1727.  in  response  to  the  petition  of 
Moses  Ward,  of  Fairfield,  church  war- 
den, and  other  church  wardens,  vestry- 
men and  brethren,  a  bill  was  passed 
by  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut, 
which,  under  certain  satisfactory  con- 
ditions, diverted  such  taxes  collected 
from  members  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land to  the  support  of  a  clergyman  of 
that  church,  who  should  minister  to 
them:  and  the  members  were  also  al- 
lowed to  tax  themselves  for  the  sup- 
port of  their  clergyman.  Directly  af- 
ter the  passage  of  this  act  parishes 
began  to  be  organized,  and  church 
houses  erected  in  which  to  worship. 

About  1740  the  parishoners  of  North 
Haven  and  Wallingford  united  into 
one  church  by  the  name  of  Union 
church. 

And  soon  a  plain  building,  sufficient 
for  the  accommodation  of  these  fami- 
lies, was  erected,  somewhere  between 
Pond  Hill  and  Clintonville,  a  part  of 
which  was  still  standing  a  few  years 
ago. 

Four  different  clergymen,  missionar- 
ies for  the  society  for  the  propagation 
of  the  Gospel,  ministered  to  the  cong- 
regation  of  the   Union   church. 

But  in  1752  the  Union  church  was 
placed  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Camp,  a  native  of  Middle- 
town  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  college. 
Under  his  ministrations  the  church  so 
increased  in  members  and  strength 
that  it  became  expedient  to  make  dif- 
ferent and  more  efficient  arrange- 
ments. Accordingly  the  Union  so- 
ciety was  dissolved  as  early  as  1757, 
and  the  Wallingford  parishoners  took 
measures  for  the  erection  of  a  church 
house  in  the  village,  which  was  finish- 
ed in  1762. 

On  January  29,  1761.  St.  Paul's  par- 
ish voted,  "That  there  shall  be  preach- 
ing a  proportionable  part  of  the  time, 
according  to  what  they  pay,  at  the  old 
society  in  Wallingford,  Cheshire  and 
North   Haven." 

This  action  probably  had  in  view  the 
return  of  Samuel  Andrews,  who 
had  already  acted  as  lay  reader  here 
while  he  was  in  Yale  college,  and  who 
was   at   the   time   in   England   for   the 


i20 


CEXTEXXIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


purpose  of  receiving  liol.y  orders.  At 
this  time  Mr.  Andrews'  brother  was 
one  of  the  wardens  of  St.  Paul's 
church. 

We  have  now  reached  a  most  im- 
portant period  in  the  Colonial  history 
of  St.  Paul's  parish. 

In  that  portion  now  constituting  the 
town  of  Meriden,  lived  a  family  of 
eight  sons  by  the  name  of  Andrews, 
all  of  them  members  of  this  parish. 
Seven  of  these  united  their  slender  re- 
sources in  order  to  send  their  young- 
est brother,  Samuel,  to  Yale  college 
to  be  educated  with  a  view  to  the  sa- 
cred ministry. 

On  his  graduation  and  attainment  of 
canonical  age,  he  proceeded  to  Eng- 
land, where  he  received  deacon's  and 
priest's  orders,  at  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Sherlock,  then  Bishop  of  London,  and 
under  whom  were  all  the  Colonial  par- 
ishes. He  returned  January  23,  1702, 
with  the  appointment  of  missionary  of 
S.  P.  G.,  to  Wallingford,  North  Haven 
and  Cheshire. 

In  this  position  he  remained  about 
twenty-three  years,  an  able,  faithful, 
laborious  and  successful  clergyman, 
winning  the  warmest  affection  of  par- 
ishioners, and  the  honor  and  esteem 
of  all  who  who  knew  him.  He  was  a 
contemporary  of  Rev.  Dr.  Dana, 
pastor  of  the  Congregationad  church, 
between  whom  a  warm,  personal 
friendship  grew  up,  that  was  not  sev- 
ered until  death. 

Of  the  parish  for  sixty-five  years 
following  the  retirement  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Andrews  little  can  be  said.  About 
the  time  of  his  removal  several  fami- 
lies went  to  Nova  Scotia,  and  there  was 
a  large  emigration  to  different  parts 
of  the  state  of  New  York. 

In  consequence  of  these  removals  the 
parish  was  reduced  to  about  twenty 
families.  But  this  staunch  few  held  to- 
gether and  kept  up  the  services  and 
perpetuated  its  life  as  best  they  could, 
until,  at  the  close  of  its  first  century 
of  existence,  in  1S41,  it  had  so  far  re- 
covered lost  ground  as  to  number  six- 
ty-five communicants.  Since  that  time 
it  has  kept  on  in  a  pretty  even  and 
steady  course  of  growth. 

THIRD'   COLONI.XL    CHURCH. 

The  First  Baptist  church  in  Wal- 
lingford was  organized  in  1735,  as  the 


third  Baptist  church  in  the  state.  Its 
membership  consisted  of  ten  families 
with  Timothy  Waters  as  pastor.  The 
church  building  was  located  about  on 
the  line  between  Wallingford  and 
Meriden.  Later  this  church  moved  to 
Meriden  and  is  now  called  the  First 
Baptist    church    of   that    place. 

In  1700  the  Second  Baptist  church 
of  Wallingford  was  organized  and  lo- 
cated in  the  southern  part  of  the 
town.  After  several  years  this  church 
was  disbanded  and  in  1817  the  present 
First  Baptist  church  was  organized 
and  now  has  a  membership  of  350 
with  a  Sunday  school  of  250.  From 
this  church  twenty-nine  members 
were  dismissed  in  1803  to  form  the 
First  Baptist  church  in  Waterbury. 
From  the  Second  Baptist  church  were 
dismissed  members,  in  1804,  to  form 
the  Baptist  church  in  Westfield,  Mid- 
dletown.  The  inlluence  of  this  church 
has  been  far  reaching  in  influence  and 
usefulness  among  the   people. 

ADDRESS  BY  E.  R.  BROWN. 

As  a  representative  of  Cheshire,  I 
I:)ring  to  Mother  Wallingford  the  sin- 
cere salutation  of  her  oldest  daughter, 
and  to  our  younger  sister,  Meriden,  our 
heartfelt  congratulations.  Not  only  on 
your  remarkable  growth  and  prosperity 
which  has  been  yours  to  enjoy  during 
the  past  half  a  century,  but  on  this  in- 
teresting occasion  which  brings  us  to- 
gether to-day. 

We  are  forcibly  reminded  to-day  that 
change  marks  the  tract  of  time.  Were 
a  person  who  lived  here  lOO  or  even 
fifty  years  ago  to  appear  upon  the  scene 
to-day,  it  would  be  like  coming  into 
a  new  world.  So  complete  would  be 
the  change  in  the  entire  landscape. 
Surely  we  are  living  in  a  transitional 
period  of  the  world's  history  and  it  is 
well  for  us  in  imagination  to  turn  back 
the  dial  of  time  and  stand  where  our 
fathers  stood  loo  or  more  years  ago. 
There  seems  to  be  a  disposition  on  the 
part  of  some  to  ignore  the  past.  Crit- 
icism has  become  destructive,  rather 
than  constructive.  Cut  away  from  the 
old  moorings  and  turn  away  from  the 
ancient  track  of  our  fathers  this  is  the 
cry  we  often  liear  in  our  day.  This  to 
my  mind  springs  from  a  false  idea  of 
progress.  It  regards  each  historical  event 
as  isolated  and  independent.  Is  it  not 
true  that  each  event  is  related  to  other 
events  and  each  age  is  vitally  connected 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


221 


with  other  ages.  No  generation  in  the 
strictest  sense  can  begin  its  own  work. 
It  reaps  fields  that  have  been  sown  by 
others.  To  understand  what  we  are  to- 
day we  need  to  go  back  to  the  toils 
and  hardships  of  our  ancestors.  It  was 
their  rude  schoolhouses  which  prepared 
the  way  for  our  splendid  system  of  edu- 
cation. It  was  their  struggle  for  politi- 
cal and  religious  freedom  that  gave  us 
the  greatest  republic  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  It  was  their  intense  conviction 
of  their  accountability  to  God  that 
fruited  in  the  rugged  virtues  of  New 
England  character.  The  life  blood  of 
eight  preceding  generations  of  men  and 
women  is  in  our  veins  to-day.  The 
New  Haven  colony  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Davenport  and  Eaton  in  the 
year  1667  voted  to  set  off  a  certain  por- 
tion for  the  forming  of  a  new  planta- 
tion. The  village  formed  in  accord- 
ance with  this  vote  was  called  Walling- 
ford  after  the  old  English  home  of  some 
of  the  planters.  This  included  what  is 
now  Cheshire  and  Prospect  as  far  as 
the  center.  Soon  the  fertile  valleys 
where  springs  abounded  and  the  green 
self-sustaining  fields  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  invited  a  westward  settle- 
ment. The  sons  of  Wallingford's  first 
proprietors  here  made  settlements.  John 
Hotchkiss  and  Joseph  Ives,  I  am  con- 
fident, settled  here  previous  to  the  vear 
7700  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn  were 
the  first  settlers.  There  are  those  who 
think  Timothy  Tuttle  was  the  first  set- 
tler and  that  he  built  the  first  framed 
house,  but  as  he  was  not  married  until 
the  year  1706,  being  at  that  time  only 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  I  am  led  to 
think  the  former  preceeded  him  as  set- 
tler. Other  early  settlers  were  Nathan- 
iel Bunnell,  Thomas  Brooks,  Stephen 
Hotchkiss,  Beniamin  Hall,  Benjamin 
Moss.  John  Hull,  Benjamin  Hull,  Ed- 
ward Parker,  Matthew  Bellamy,  Elna- 
than  Beach,  Benjamin  Lewis.  Abra- 
ham Doolittle,  Thomas  C^rtiss,  Samuel 
Rovs,  Moses  Atwater.  Henry  Bristol 
and  others.  Several  of  these  oersons 
made  settlements  before  anv  roads  were 
made  to  their  dwellings.  However,  roads 
were  soon  built  and  settlements  made 
from  Cook  Hill  and  the  fresh  meadows 
westward  to  Mill  River,  and  the  West 
Mountain. 

When  the  first  settlements  were  made 
in  this  locality  the  Indians  were  quite 
numerous.  They  had  wigwams  in  the 
valley  east,  now  known  as  Copper  Val- 


ley, in  the  valley  to  the  north  leading  to 
I  unxis  valley  and  at  Moss  Earms  where 
they  were  often  seen.  It  was  from 
these  Indians  that  the  original  planters 
purchased  these  lands.  Little  did  these 
Indians  think  when  they  exchanged 
their  lands  for  a  few  articles  such  as 
spoons,  hatchets,  knives,  scissors  and 
English  cloth,  that  in  a  few  years  this 
feeble  band  of  settlers  would  increase 
to  thousands,  that  the  large  and  exten- 
sive forests  where  the\-  had  often  wan- 
dered, would  so  soon  yield  to  the  axe 
in  the  hands  of  this  muscular  yeomanry. 

Long  ago  these  Indians  disappeared, 
the  small  remnant  of  the  Quinnipiacs 
left  these  hunting  grounds  and  the 
graves  of  their  fathers  and  wandered 
away  to  other  lands.  No  monumental 
tablets  perpetuate  their  memory.  The 
smoke  of  their  wigwam  fires  can  no 
longer  be  seen,  the  war  whoop  and  the 
war  dance  around  their  camp  fires  are 
no  longer  heard  and  seen.  The  bow 
and  arrow,  the  tomahawk  and  other  im- 
plements of  Indian  life,  although  occa- 
sionally ploughed  from  the  fields  and 
kept  as  relics  are  seldom  visible  around 
their  habitations.  When  the  first  set- 
tlements were  made  in  what  is  now 
Cheshire  the  wolf  and  the  bear  were 
occasionally  visible  along  the  hedges 
east  and  west  of  the  center  and  the 
early  settlers  often  were  in  distinct  hear- 
ing of  the  howl  of  the  wolf  and  the 
growl  of  the  bear. 

As  settlers  increased  they  soon  were 
desirous  of  becoming  a  distinct  society 
and  in  1718,  Thomas  Brooks,  Stephen 
Hotchkiss  and  Matthew  Bellamy,  com- 
plained to  the  General  Assembly,  that 
by  reason  of  the  distance  to  the  old 
town  of  Wallingford  and  their  disad- 
vantage to  appear  in  public  worship  and 
also  to  educate  their  children,  they  pe- 
titioned to  be  set  off  a  distinct  society, 
forty-five  families  being  found  to  reside 
within  the  limits  of  the  proposed  new 
society  and  the  estimated  value  of  their 
real  estate  about  2,000  pounds.  The 
committee  of  examination  decided  that 
it  was  best  for  them  to  remain  with 
the  old  society  at  Wallingford.  Sabbath 
after  Sabbath  these  early  settlers  rode 
on  horseback  and  went  on  foot  to  the 
mother  church  at  Wallingford  and  lis- 
tened first  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Street, 
and  then  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Whittlesey 
as  they  faithfully  proclaimed  the  ever- 
lasting gospel.  The  request  to  be  set 
off    as    a    distinct    society    did    not    end 


222 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MEKIDEN. 


with  this  refusal;  the  subject  was  con- 
stantly agitated  and  in  1723  the  district 
first  called  the  West  Farms  of  Wal- 
lingford,  was  constituted  a  distinct  so- 
ciety by  legislative  grant.  It  then  re- 
ceived its  name  of  the  "Parish  of  New 
Cheshire,"  by  which  name  it  was  knowai 
and  recorded  until  the  incorporation 
of  the  town  of  Cheshire  in  the  year  1780. 
At  the  first  meeting  in  July,  1723, 
they  voted  to  build  a  meeting  house 
and  to  hire  a  minister  for  six  months. 
The  Rev.   Samuel   Hall  was  engaged  as 


lingford  was  not  favorable  at  first  to 
this  division  but  a  few  years  later  it 
seemed,  even  to  the  old  church,  a  wise 
provision  and  the  town  of  Wallingford 
by  vote  granted  liberty  to  ye  West  farm- 
ers to  have  a  minister  of  their  own  and 
to  some  extent  help  to  sustain  him. 
Thus  about  twenty-five  years  after  the 
first  settlement,  the  first  religious  so- 
ciety was  organized  which  formed  the 
First  Congregational  church  of  Chesh- 
ire. The  church  at  its  organization 
consisted    of    eleven    male    and    fifteen 


OFFICE  MERIDEN  FIRE  .VR^IS  CU. 


this  supply.  The  meeting  house  was  to 
be  forty  feet  long  by  thirty  feet  broad, 
and  .18  feet  between  posts  without  a 
steeple.  Caleb  Matthews,  Timothy  Tut- 
tle,  Josiah  Hotchkiss,  Nathaniel  Bun- 
nell and  Thomas  Curtiss  were  chosen 
a  committee  to  manage  the  work  of  the 
meeting  house.  In  Dec,  1724,  the  first 
church  was  organized  and  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Hall  ordained  its  pastor.  This 
church  edifice  stood  perhaps  one-eighth 
of  a  mile  soutli  of  the  present  Con- 
g'regational     chvn-ch.         Naturally    Wal- 


female  members.  I  seem  to  see  this 
little  band  as  they  enter  the  only  open 
door  perhaps  with  one  of  the  Psalms 
of  David  upon  their  lips.  I  see  them 
seated  in  this  plain,  vmadorned  room 
with  no  carpeted  fioor,  no  cushioned 
seats,  no  frescoed  walls,  no  glittering 
chandelier,  but  to  their  subdued  spirits 
this  was  none  other  than  the  house  of 
God,  and  the  very  gate  of  heaven. 
Here  their  children  were  baptized  and 
there  they  received  the  ordinances  of 
the     Gospel.     During    the    cold     winter 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN, 


223 


months  previous  to  the  erection  of  Sab- 
ba  day  houses,  so-called,  this  little  com- 
pany spent  the  hours  of  intermission 
around  the  blazing  fires  prepared  for 
them  at  the  houses  of  Deacon  Stephen 
Hotchkiss  and  Josia  Hotchkiss  who  re- 
sided near  this  first  meeting  house  of 
the  parish  of  New  Cheshire.  This  was 
the  only  church  organization  in  the 
place,  until  the  organization  of  the  Epis- 
copal church  in  1751,  their  first  church 
edifice  being  erected  in  the  year  1760- 
The  M.  E.  church  was  organized  in 
1834  and  the  Roman  Catholic  church 
in  1859.  In  the  year  1732  the  smallpox 
broke  out  in  this  infant  settlement  and 
out  of  a  population  of  about  400  souls, 
124  of  their  number  were  sick  with  this 
disorder,  of  which  number  seventeen 
died.  So  many  were  sick  at  one  time 
that  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  nurses 
to  care  for  the  sick  or  even  help  suf- 
ficient to  bury  their  dead.  Some  of  the 
most  influential  of  this  society  died. 
Of  this  number  Nathaniel  Bunnell  (a 
direct  ancestor  of  Meriden's  honored 
townsman,  H.  W.  Lines)  Thomas 
Brooks  and  others  were  sadly  missed. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 
a  short  time  afterward  fifty  pounds  was 
appropriated  for  the  benefit  of  the  suf- 
ferers at  New  Cheshire.  From  this 
time  forward  the  population  of  the  par- 
ish grew  very  fast ;  large  families  were 
the  rule  in  those  days.  The  children  of 
both  sexes  married  and  settled  largely 
in  the  same  locality.  From  a  popula- 
tion of  about  400  in  1732  the  population 
increased  to  1,933  in  1774.  The  popu- 
lation of  Wallingford  at  that  time  was 
2,133,  only  200  more  than  the  Cheshire 
society  and  Meriden's  population  at  that 
time  was  852,  so  you  see  we  outnum- 
bered Meriden  at  that  time,  1,081,  more 
than  double.  While  Cheshire  has  held 
its  own,  sometimes  running  ahead  and 
then  back  again  to  about  the  same 
number  and  to-day  probably  our  popu- 
lation would  not  be  only  about  100 
larger  than  in  1774  by  last  census  1,989, 
while  Wallingford  and  Meriden  show  a 
remarkable  increase  in  their  populatron 
as   the   last   census   plainly   proves. 

The  turnpike  was  built  in  1800.  The 
canal  was  built  in  1826.  The  North- 
ampton railroad  built  in  1848.  Prospect 
was  set  ofif  as  a  distinct  town  in  1827. 

An  old  professor,  once  speaking  to  a 
■class  of  young  men  studying  law,  said  : 
"Young  gentlemen,  when  you  get  to 
practicing  law,  if  you  ever  have  a  client 


who  is  guilty,  never  let  him  be  brought 
to  trial."  To  which  one  of  the  young 
men  replied :  "Well,  professor,  suppose 
we  have  to  bring  him  to  trial,  what 
then?"  "Well,  if  you  are  forced  into 
court,"  said  the  professor,  "try  every- 
thing else  but  your  client.  Try  the  op- 
posing attorne\',  try  the  judge,  try  all 
the  witnesses,  try  everything  and  every- 
body, but  don't  try  your  own  client  for 
he  won't  stand  it."  So,  in  reference  to 
Cheshire's  growth,  I  have  but  little  to 
say,  I  prefer  to  try  Wallingford  or 
Meriden.  Yet  we  believe  present  pros- 
pects are  more  favorable  to  its  growth 
in  the  future. 

SCHOOLS. 

With  our  fathers,  religion  and  educa- 
tion went  hand  in  hand.  As  soon  as 
settlements  were  made,  first  the  meet- 
ing house  was  erected  and  almost  si- 
multaneously, action  was  taken  towards 
the  erection  of  schoolhouses.  In  1728 
the  societ}^  voted  to  build  two  school- 
houses,  one  of  them  near  the  church 
and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  man- 
age school  afifairs.  Before  this  time, 
however,  as  early  as  1715.  the  farmers 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river  sent  a 
petition  to  the  town  of  Wallingford 
asking  the  privilege  of  opening  a  school. 
The  bounds  described  extended  as  far 
west  of  the  river  as  Timothy  Tuttle's 
and  Timothy  Beach's.  This  request 
was  granted  and  schools  were  opened 
in  several  private  houses.  Several 
years  before  schoolhouses  were  erected 
in  difi^erent  parts  of  the  society.  The 
spectacle  of  a  person  being  unable  to 
read  or  write  was  an  unusual  thing  in 
those  days. 

AC.'XDEMV. 

I  take  this  opportunity  to  refer  to  the 
Episcopal  Academy  of  Cheshire.  This 
academy  was  first  built  in  1796.  This 
institution  has  sent  forth  a  large  num- 
ber of  young  men  who  have  subsequent- 
ly filled  positions  of  honor  and  useful- 
ness in  the  field  of  business,  literature 
and  in  the  learned  professions  all  over 
our  land.  Many  of  her  sons  are  now 
living,  whose  presence  at  each  recur- 
ring anniversary  furnishes  unmistaka- 
ble evidence  of  their  k>ve,  fidelity  and 
attachment  for  this  time-honored  insti- 
tution. This  year  is  to  be  a  sort  of  a 
year  of  jubilee  with  this  academy  and 
hundreds  of  its  alumni  will  gather  at 
its  annual  commencement  next  week  to 


224 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


rehearse  the  days  that  arc  past  and  in 
many  ways  to  do  honor  to  their  ahna- 
mater.  The  buildings  have  been  re- 
modeled and  the  grounds  greatlly  im- 
proved within  the  past  two  years.  It 
has  received  modern  equipments,  its 
name  changed  to  "The  Cheshire 
School."  Its  surroundings  are  very  at- 
tractive, has  an  able  corps  of  teachers, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  preparatory 
schools   in   our   land   to-day. 

REVOLUTIONARY    WAR. 

Cheshire's  sons  have  ever  been  true 
and  loyal  to  their  country  in  its  hour 
of  peril  and  danger.  In  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  from  1775  to'  1783,  and 
in  the  civil  war,  from  1861  to  1865,  they 
nobly  bore  their  part.  In  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  from  the  Lexington 
alarm  in  1775  to  the  close  of  the  con- 
flict and  the  disbanding  of  the  army 
in  1783,  Cheshire  and  Wallingford's  sons 
fought  side  by  side  in  nearly  every  en- 
counter, with  Capt.  Couch,  Cook,  Ar- 
nold and  Bunnell,  under  Col.  David 
Wooster,  Col.  Thaddeus  Cook,  Col. 
Wadsworth  and  others.  I  have  already 
found  the  names  of  125  Revolutionary 
soldiers  who  enlisted  from  the  Chesh- 
ire society,  and  feel  confident  more 
names  are  to  follow,  and  that  the  num- 
ber will  reach  140  who  faithfully  served 
their  country  in  the  defense  of  the  col- 
onies. 

It  is  related  that  when  the  British 
invaded  New  Haven  in  July,  1779,  Col. 
Street  Hall,  of  '  Wallingford,  rode  over 
the  hills  and  through  the  valleys  at  a 
furious  pace,  swinging  his  pointed  hat 
and  shouting,  "Turn  out  The  British 
are   in   New   Haven !" 

The  farmers  had  just  commenced 
reaping  their  grain  on  the  hills,  and 
rushed  forth  with  all  possible  speed  to 
their  homes,  after  their  trusted  mus- 
kets, and  marched  forth  to  assist  in 
driving  back  the  invading  foe. 
"Thev    left    their    plough    shares    in    the 

■  field. 
"Their  flocks  and  herds  without  a  fold, 
'"The  sickle  in  the  unshorn  grain. 
"The  corn,  half  garnered,  on  the  plain," 
and    rushed    to    the    rescue    of    the    col- 
onies. 

It  is  related  of  Adam  Thorpe,  a 
member  of  the  Cheshire  company,  who 
marched  to  the  East  Haven  shore  and 
there  met  the  British  regulars;  being 
i)ven)owered,  the  company  retreated  to 
I'"()rt    Hale,   but  young  Thorpe  stood  his 


ground,  saying  he  would  not  run  for 
the  whole  British  army.  He  was  shot 
down  near  the  gateway  of  the  Mitchell 
mansion,  a  short  distance  from  Fort 
Hale.  Ralph  Lines,  of  the  Sixth  reg- 
iment, died  on  one  of  the  prison. ships 
in  New  York  harbor.  December  21,  1776. 
When  offered  his  freedom  if  he  would 
join  the  British  army  he  replied,  "I 
would  rather  die  of  starvation  on  board 
this  ship  than  to  betray  my  country." 
Ethural  Brooks  was  killed  at  Saratoga 
with  his  face  to  the  foe.  Josiah  Smith, 
while  acting  in  the  defense  of  the  pa- 
triot cause  in  the  town  of  Bethany,  was 
attacked  by  a  company  of  British  sym- 
pathizers who  terribly  cut  his  face  with 
a  sword.  They  told  him  they  would 
do  him  no  injury  if  he  would  espouse 
their  cause ;  he  replied :  "You  can  cut 
me  to  pieces,  but  I  will  not  be  a  traitor 
to  my  country."  There  are  those  now 
living  who  remember  his  scarred  and 
mutilated  face,  which  he  carried  to  his 
death.  Derre  Brooks,  when  offered 
a  pension,  refused,  saying,  "I  want  no 
money  for  serving  my  country."  Capt- 
David  Hitchcock  was  present  at  a  re- 
ception given  to  Gen.  Lafayette  in 
Hartford  after  the  close  of  the  war. 
On  returning  to  his  home  he  was  met 
by  a  Tory  acquaintance  who  spoke 
sneeringly  of  the  general  and  of  this 
demonstration  in  his  honor.  Capt.  Da- 
vid got  out  of  his  wagon  and  threatened 
to  whip  this  man  at  once  if  he  did  not 
take  back  what  he  had  said.  He  knew 
the  captain  too  well  to  doubt  his  word, 
and  made  the  demanded  retraction. 
These  are  samples  of  some  cherished 
patriots  in  Revolutionary  times. 

Cheshire  received  its  act  of  incorpo- 
ration as  a  dstinct  town  in  1780.  This 
was  during  the  dark  and  trying  days 
of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  much  of 
its  earliest  action  pertained  to  this- 
struggle.  At  its  first  town  meeting  Ma- 
jor Reuben  Atwater,  Israel  Bunnell  and 
Jonah  Hotchkiss  were  chosen  a  com- 
mittee to  supply  the  soldiers'  families- 
with  provisions,  and  during  the  entire 
struggle,  by  word  and  deed,  Cheshire's 
sons  in  the  field  were  constantly  remem- 
bered. 

RETKESKNTATIVE   MEN. 

Cheshire  has  had  representative  men 
ever  since  its  first  settlement,  men  ca- 
pable of  filling  honored  positions  in 
nearly  every  station  in  life.  T  will  men- 
tion  a    few   of  these : 


CKXTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


^^^ 


Samuel  A.  Foot,  LL.  D.,  a  son  of 
Rev.  John  Foot,  graduated  at  Yale  in 
1797;  studied  law,  but  was  never  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar ;  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress in  1819,  1823  and  1824.  It  was 
the  land  resolution  introduced  by  him 
that  drew  out  the  famous  debate  be- 
tween Webster  and  Haynes  in  1830.  He 
was  elected  governor  of  the  state  of 
Connecticut  in  1834.  All  of  his  sons 
were  prominent  men,  liighh^  honored  in 
the  places  of  their  adoption. 

Samuel  Beach  was  a  graduate  of  Yale. 
He  held  many  ofifices  of  public  trust  in 
the  societ}^  and  town.     He  was  a  dele- 


E.  R.  BROWN. 

gate  to  the  Constitutional  convention, 
held  in  Hartford  in  1788,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ratifying  the  Constitution. 

Burrage  Beach,  a  son  of  Samuel, 
graduated  at  Yale  in  1793 ;  studied  law 
and  settled  in  Cheshire,  and  became  emi- 
nent in  his  profession. 

E.  A.  Cornwall  was  a  man  of  great 
influence  in  our  community  for  many 
3^ears,  holding  nearly  every  office  within 
the  gift  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

Col.  Thaddeus  Street  was  an  honored 
and  influential  citizen  of  our  town.  He 
was   a   splendid   military   officer   and   al- 

15 


ways  presented  a  tine  appearance  when 
leading  his  regiment.  He  left  a  famly 
of  sons  and  daughters  who  have  been 
influential  members  of  the  communities 
in  the  places  of  their  adoption. 

Col.  Rufus  Hitchcock  was  a  man  very 
prominent  in  our  town  for  many  years. 
As  a  military  officer  he  was  highly 
commended  and  filled  many  important 
positions  of  public  trust.  He  was  sent 
to  the  Legislature  twelve  different  years 
and  was  town  clerk  continuously  for 
several  years.  His  penmanship  and 
manner  of  keeping  town  records,  it 
would  be  hard  to  beat  in  these  days. 

Deacon  Israel  Bunnell  was  a  man 
greatly  esteemed  in  this  community.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  of  char- 
acter, was  sent  to  the  Legislature  six 
diff'erent  years;  he  was  selectman  a 
number  of  years.  He  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  First  church,  its  hon- 
ored deacon  and  chorister  for  many 
years. 

William  Law,  a  grandson  of  William 
Law,  Jr.,  and  a  great-grandson  of  Gov. 
Law  of  Milford.  were  men  of  note.  The 
former  was  first  selectman  and  justice 
of  the  peace  and  went  to  the  Assembly 
for  several  years.  The  latter  was  sent 
on  a  mission  to  China  and  visited  many 
lands. 

Col.  Benjamin  Hall  was  a  brother  of 
Rev.  Samuel  Hall,  Cheshire's  first  min- 
ister. He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
chosen  by  the  town  of  Wallingford  for 
this  society.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Colonial  assembly.  He  was  a  man  wise 
in  counsel  and  of  great  influence  in  the 
new   settlement. 

Gen.  Andrew  Hull  was  a  man  of 
great  influence  in  the  town.  He  was 
sent  to  the  Legislature  twenty  dififerent 
sessions,  in  eleven  dififerent  years.  He 
was  brigadier  general  of  the  Second  bri- 
gade and  was  marshal  for  the  district 
of  Connecticut  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in   1827. 

David  Brooks.  A.  AI.,  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale,  was  ordained  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry,  but  never  settled  over  any 
church.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Con- 
stitutional convention  held  in  Hartford 
in  1788,  and  voted  against  ratification. 
He  enlisted  as  one  of  the  first  quota  of 
men  furnished  in  the  Cheshire  society, 
first  as  a  private,  but  rose  to  the  rank 
of  quartermaster  of  his  regiment.  He 
delivered  discourses  that  helped  to 
mould  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the 
struggling  colonies. 


226 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN, 


Andrew  Hull,  known  as  Squire  An- 
drew Hull,  was  a  prominent  official  of 
the  town.  He  was  sent  to  the  Legisla- 
ture thirty-six  different  sessions  and 
nineteen  different  years.  This  was 
when  two  sessions  were  held  annually. 
He  was  trying  justice,  selectman  and 
constable  for  manj^  years.  He  was 
known  as  a  man  of  great  decision  of 
character.  With  him  Yes!  meant  Yes! 
and  No !  meant  No !  every  time.  In  a 
case  brought  before  him  for  trial,  if  the 
time  set  for  the  same  was  g  o'clock  and 
the  parties  did  not  apppear  promptly  at 
that  time  the  case  was  non-suited  at  once 
with  the  remark,  "Nine  o'clock  means 
just  that  time  with  me  and  not  even 
ten  minutes  after." 

Hundreds  of  Cheshire's  sons  have 
gone  forth  from  the  place  of  their  birth 
and  become  prominent  settlers  in  nearly 
every  state  in  our  Union.  Some  of 
them  were  pioneer  settlers  and  became 
leaders  in  the  communties  where  they 
dwelt. 

First,  as  you  are  doubtless  aware, 
Charles  Parker,  your  first  mayor,  and  N. 
L.  Bradley,  the  head  of  the  Bradley  & 
Hubbard  Mfg.  Co.,  were  born  in  Chesh- 
ire. That  they  have  been  important  fac- 
tors in  Meriden's  growth  and  prosperity 
and  among  your  most  highly  honored 
and  influential  citizens,  is  known  to  vou 
all.  ^ 

Welcome  E.  Benham,  for  many  years 
a  leader  in  your  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  in 
your  school  advancement,  a  man  of  de- 
cided principle  in  reference  to  all  ques- 
tions bearing  upon  religion  and  morals, 
was  of  Cheshire  birth. 

John  Parker,  Edmund  Parker,  Al- 
meron  Miles,  and  other  men  of  note 
were   born   in   Cheshire. 

Stephen  Rowe  Bradley,  born  in  1754, 
graduated  with  honors  at  Yale  in  1775, 
moved  to  Walpole,  Mass.,  as  a  perma- 
nent settler,  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  Senatee  and  continued  a 
member  for  sixteen  years.  He  was 
president  of  the  United  States  Senate 
in  1802  and  1803  in  place  of  Aaron 
Burr. 

Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Bellamy,  graduated 
at  Yale  in  1735,  studied  for  the  min- 
istry and  became  one  of  the  most  emi- 
nent divines  of  his  generation.  He  was 
ordained  as  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Bethlehem  in  1740.  He  was 
an  elociuent  prcacl-.cr  and  a  noted  writer. 
He  was. one  of  the  most  gifted  of  Chesh- 
ire's sons. 


Rev.  Sherlock  Bristol,  the  "Pioneer 
Preacher,"  so  called,  was  born  in  Chesh- 
ire in  1815,  graduated  at  Oberlin  col- 
lege. He  has  had  a  remarkable  history. 
A  writer  of  several  books  and  now  in 
his  ninety-first  year,  he  is  one  of  the 
most  honored  ministers  of  Southern 
California.  His  writings  and  his  preach- 
ing give  no  uncertain  sound  in  refer- 
ence to  the  fundamental  principles  of  our 
Christian  faith. 

Rev.  Asahel  Stevens,  the  first  minister 
at  the  Center  Congregational  church  in 
Meriden,  was  a  native  of  Cheshire.  He 
was  afterwards  the  pastor  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  at  Peoria,  111.,  for 
many  years.  He  was  a  good  preacher, 
a  faithful  pastor  and  greatly  beloved  by 
his  people. 

Rev.  Dr.  George  E.  Street,  who  was 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at 
Exeter,  N.  H.,  for  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  was  one  of  the  most  influential 
ministers  of  that  section,  and  held  a  very 
warm  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  people. 

Hon.  John  A.  Foot,  a  son  of  Gov. 
Foot,  graduated  at  Yale,  studied  law, 
and  after  practicing  a  few  years  in 
Cheshire,  settled  at  Cleveland  Ohio.  Was 
judge  of  the  Superior  court  for  several 
years  and  held  many  offices  of  public 
trust.  Augustus  Foot,  a  brother,  also 
settled  in  Cleveland,  O.,  where  he  was 
a    prominent    banker- 

Admiral  A.  H.  Foot,  another  brother, 
was  born  during  a  temporary  so- 
journ of  his  parents  in  the  city  of  New 
Haven.  His  parents  returned  to  Chesh- 
ire when  he  was  si.x  years  old  and  here 
he  spent  his  youthful  days  at  the  old 
Foote  homestead.  We  claim  him  as  one 
of  Cheshire's  sons. 

Judge  Peter  Hitchcock  graduate  at 
Yale  in  1801,  studied  law  in  Litcheld, 
commenced  practice  in  Cheshire,  moved 
out  to  Burton,  Ohio,  in  1806.  He  went 
out  in  company  with  several  other  set- 
tlers, with  an  ox  team,  consuming  forty 
days'  time  in  the  journey.  He  became 
a  very  influential  man  in  the  place  of 
his  adoption.  Was  elected  to  the  U.  S. 
Senate  and  was  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme court  from  1826  to  1852.  He  was 
a  very  plain  man  and  it  is  related  of 
him  that  on  his  way  to  Washington, 
when  first  elected  to  Congress,  he 
stopped  at  a  hotel  for  dinner.  At  once 
the  inquiry  was  made  by  several  look- 
ers on,  "Who  is  that  seedy-looking  fel- 
low?" Very  soon  several  persons  came 
in  and  accosted  him  as  Judge,  General 
and  Senator.     This  greatly  surprised  the 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


22\ 


'guests,  who  made  up  their  minds  they 
had  missed  their  mark. 

Micah  Brooks,  a  native  of  Cheshire, 
moved  out  into  the  Genesee  valley  in 
1796,  was  county  surveyor  for  many 
years,  was  an  honored  citizen  of  the 
state  of  New  York,  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress and  was  for  twenty  years  a  judge 
of  Ontario  county  courts.  His  descend- 
ants are  filling  prominent  positions  in 
western  New  York  to-day. 

John  Kensett,  the  celebrated  painter, 
was  born  in  Cheshire.  His  artistic  skill 
has  furnished  decorations  for  many  a 
mansion  in  this  and  other  lands-  He 
now  sleeps  in  the  beautiful  Greenwood. 
No  song  shall  awake  him  to  glory 
again. 

George  A.  Jarvis,  a  successful  mer- 
chant in  New  York,  was  a  native  of 
Cheshire.  His  interest  and  attachment 
for  this  his  native  town,  was  always 
strong  and  abiding  as  manifested  by  his 
generous  benefactions  to  the  town,  the 
Episcopal  church  and  the  Academy 
where  he  was  a  student  for  a  number 
of  years.-  The  granite  shaft  erected  on 
the  green  in  front  of  the  Congregational 
church  to  the  memory  of  Cheshire's  sons 
who  fell  in  the  Civil  war,  had  its  source 
in  his  benevolent  heart.  His  memory 
will  be  perpetuated  by  these  blessings 
bestowed,  long  after  dust  shall  have 
returned  to  its  kindred  dust. 

Hon.  Tilton  E.  Doolittle,  for  many 
years  a  prominent  lawyer  and  state  at- 
torney for  New  Haven  county,  was  a 
Cheshire  boy.  He  commenced  his  prac- 
tice in  Cheshire,  afterwards  practicing 
in  the  city  of  Meriden  and  later  remov- 
ing to  New  Haven  where  he  had  a  suc- 
cessful practice.  In  many  ways  he 
vvas  highly  honored  by  his  fellow 
citizens. 

Rev.  Reuben  Ives  graduated  at  Yale. 
He  was  the  first  rector  of  the  Episcopal 
church  in  Cheshire.  Through  his  influ- 
ence more  than  to  any  other  one  man 
the  Episcopal  Academy  was  established 
at  Cheshire  and  delivered  the  chief  ad- 
dress  at  the  laying  of  its  corner  stone. 

Edward  Stevens,  a  brother  of  Rev. 
Asahel  Stevens,  married  a  daughter  of 
Chauncey  Jerome,  of  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  the  clock  manufacturer.  He  af- 
terwards went  to  England  for  his 
father-in-law,  and  had  charge  of  his 
business  there  for  about  twenty  years. 
Returning  to  New  Haven  he  was'  duly 
appointed  the  secretarv  and  treasurer 
of    the    New    Haven    Clock    Co..    filling 


this  position  until  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1887.  He  left  a  large  estate 
as  well  as  a  legacy  more  enduring  of 
an  honest,  upright  and  useful  business 
and    Christian    life. 

Amasa  Hitchcock  was  the  first  post- 
master of  Cheshire  and  held  that  posi- 
tion from  General  Washington's  to  Gen- 
eral Jackson's  day.  His  son,  Robert 
Hitchcock,  born  in  1804,  was  appointed 
midshipman  from  Connecticut  in  1825, 
and  was  appointed  commodore  in  1862. 
His  last  command  was  on  the  frigate 
Merrimac  which  was  sunk  by  the  Con- 
federates. He  was  considered  an  able 
and    considerate   naval    officer. 

Two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  years 
ago  my  ancestor,  Francis  Brown,  came 
over  from  England  in  advance  of  the 
colony  and  was  one  of  the  company  that 
spent  the  winter  of  1637-38  in  a  hut 
which  they  had  erected  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  what  is  now  College  and 
George  streets,  in  New  Haven.  Samuel 
Brown,  a  son  of  Francis,  was  one  of  the 
original  subscribers  for  the  settlement 
of  the  village  of  Wallingford  and  set- 
tled on  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Moses  Y.  Beach  place.  Probably  there 
are  many  others  present  to-day  who  can 
trace  their  kindred  back  to  the  early 
settlers  of  the  New  Haven  colony. 

Yes !  More  than  250  years  ago  our 
ancestors  came  to  these  New  England 
shores  and  found  here  an  almost  un- 
broken wilderness.  Into  this  wilderness, 
with  all  its  prospective  dangers,  priva- 
tions and  sufferings  they  entered  and 
from  that  time  until  the  present  hour, 
our  beloved  state  and  nation  has  expe- 
perienced  no  struggles  in  which  they 
have  not  borne  their  part  and  no  tri- 
umphs in  which  they  have  not  shared. 
All  these  years  they  have  assisted  in  the 
work  and  in  the  burden  bearing  neces- 
sary in  forming  these  towns,  founding 
a  state  and  in  rearing  a  nation.  Let  us 
ever  prove  ourselves  worthy  descendants 
"of  such  a  noble  and  self-sacrificing  an- 
cestry- and  ever  be  in  readiness  to  bear 
our  part  in  all  the  exigencies  that  may 
arise  in  our  state  and  nation  and  ever 
be  true  to  the  glorious  birthright  God 
has  given  us  in  this  land  of  the  free 
and  home  of  the  brave. 

ADDRESS  BY  JUDGE  L.   M.   HUB- 
BARD. 

The  history  of  Wallingford,  which 
tells  of  high  purpose,  faithful  en- 
deavor and  honorable  achievement  in 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


every  generation  from  the  settlement 
of  the  town  in  167  0  until  the  pres- 
ent time,  contains  no  chapter  which 
more  largely  contributes  to  its  en- 
during honor  and  renown,  or  morp 
strongly  appeals  to  the  sentiment  of 
local  pride,  than  does  the  story  of  its 
patriotic  services  in  the  "Revolution- 
ary period." 

The  Wallingford  men  of  that  day, 
by  reason  of  their  antecedents  and 
training,  were  keenly  sensitive  to  any 
infringement  of  their  religious  or  civ- 
il rights. 

The   sixteenth    town    in    the   colony 
in  the  order   of  incorporation,   Wall- 
ingford  was   the   first  to   be     settled 
under  guarantees  to  the  church  of  ab- 
solute independence  of  the  town,  and 
immunity    from      its    interference      in 
all    matters   affecting   its    government 
and  discipline.     This  policy  served  in 
practice  to   beget  and  develop  in  the 
membership    of    the   church    an    ever- 
increasing  jealousy  of  its  rights  and 
prerogatives,    and      a      corresponding 
tenacity  of  purpose  to  vindicate  them 
whenever  assailed.      It  happily  trans- 
pired that  at  no  time  thereafter  did 
any  conflict  arise  between  the  church 
and   the   civil   authorities,   but   never- 
theless,  the   nurturing  process      went 
on,  and,  when  many  years  later,  the 
fierce    ecclesiastical    struggle      which 
was  to  settle  determinately  the  polity 
of   the   general    Congregational    order 
was    precipitated    in   connection    with 
the     ordination     of  Dr.     Dana,      the 
church,    though    divided,    stood    forth 
in  a  large  majority,  militant,  daunt- 
less,   like   a   seasoned   soldiery,    eager 
to     combat  for     a     principle     under 
whose  sway  it  had   for  well  nigh      a 
century  held  pre-eminence  for  the  high 
order  of  its  ministry  and  the  intelli- 
gence, zeal,  and  piety  of  its  communi- 
cants.    And  the  church  was  success- 
ful in  its  contention. 

With  such  men  forming  the  body 
of  its  citizens,  what  wonder  that  on 
the  enactment  by  Parliament  of  the 
"stamp  act,"  a  few  years  later.  Wall- 
ingford was  the  first  town  in  the  col- 
ony to  assemble  its  freemen  in  spec- 
ial town  meeting  to  consider  the 
situation,  and  that,  when  thus  as- 
sembled on  the  13th  of  January, 
1766,  they  declared  their  abhorrence 
of  the  hateful  measure,  and  unani- 
mously "voted  and  agreed,  that  if 
any   of   said    inhabitants    shall    intro- 


duse,  use,  or  improve  any  stamped 
vellum,  parchment,  or  paper,  for 
which  tax  or  tribute  is  or  may  be  de- 
mandable,  such  person  or  persons 
shall  incur  the  penalty  of  twenty 
shillings,  to  be  recovered  by  the  se- 
lectmen of  said  town  for  the  time  be- 
ing, for  the  use  of  the  poor  of  said 
town." 

Nine  years  distant  from  Lexington 
and  Concord,  while  yet  under 
acknowledged  obligation  of  obedience 
to  the  mother  country,  and  utterly 
impotent  to  resist  by  force  the  slight- 
est exercise  of  her  coercive  power, 
this  public  act  of  defiance  with  its 
utter  disregard  of  personal  conse- 
quences, spoke  in  tones  more  indub- 
itable, and  sublimer  far,  of  a  patriot- 
ism profound  and  invincible  than 
did  the  hazards  and  sacrifices  of  the 
later  time,  incurred,  however  freely, 
under  constraint  of  motives  and  the 
spell  of  enthusiasm  created,  or  at 
least  greatly  intensified,  by  hostil- 
ities actually  begun. 

The  records  discover  that  during 
those  nine  dismal  years  following  the 
repeal  of  the  stamp  act  and  before 
"the  embattled  farmers  at  Concord 
Bridge  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the 
world,"  the  inhabitants  of  Walling- 
ford in  every  crisis  were  instant  to 
manifest  their  enthusiastic  adhesion, 
and  pledge  their  practical  support  to 
the  cause  of  the  colonies- 

You  shall  search  in  vain  the 
archives  of  the  period  in  every  town 
throughout  the  colonies  for  a  more 
splendid  revelation  of  consecration, 
or  wisely  directed  action  in  behalf  of 
the  liberties  of  the  people  so  im- 
minently at  stake,  than  was  exhibit- 
ed by  the  citizens  of  our  town,  when 
in  special  town  meeting,  November 
2  9,  1774,  with  but  three  dissenting 
votes,  adopting  the  articles  of  agree- 
ment contained  in  the  "Association" 
.  formed  by  the  Continental  Congress 
at  its  recent  session  in  Philadelphia 
to  insure  commercial  non-intercourse 
with  Great  ^niain;  then  choosing  a 
committee  to  raise  money  by  sub- 
scription to  be  sent  to  the  selectmen 
of  Boston  "for  the  benefit  of  the  in- 
digent sufferers  by  the  Port  b'll." 
they  crowned  the  record  of  that  illus- 
trious meeting,  as  with  a  garland  of 
imperishable  glory,  by  appointing  a 
Committee  of  Correspondence  "to 
receive  and  communicate  such  intelli- 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


229 


gences  as  may  tend  to  maintain  peace 
and  Union  in  tliis  and  the  neigliboring 
colonies." 

Before  adverting  to  the  record  of 
the  men  of  Wallingford  in  the  mil- 
itary struggles  of  the  war,  you  will 
permit  me  to  make  some  reference  Lo 
a  son  of  Wallingford  whose  dis- 
tinguished career  and  services  have 
made  his  place  forever  secure  among 
the  immortals  of  all  time. 

Lyman  Hall  was  born  in  the  town, 
and  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
borough  of  Wallingford  on  April  12, 
1724,  descended  in  the  fifth  gener- 
ation from  John  Hall,  who,  though 
not    a    signer    of   the   original    coven- 


JUDGE  L.  M.   HUBBARD. 

ant  of  the  planters,  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Wallingford,  remov- 
ing from  New  Haven  within  a  twelve- 
month after  the  covenant  was  enter- 
ed into. 

Graduating  from  Yale  college  in 
1747,  he  pursued  theological  studies 
under  his  uncle.  Rev.  Samuel  Hall 
(Yale,  1716),  who  was  the  first  minis- 
ter of  the  parish  of  Cheshire.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1749,  he  was  settled  as  minis- 
ter of  Stratfield  parish,  now  the  First 


Congregational  church  of  Bridgeport, 
Conn.,  where  he  remained  until  June, 
1751.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  at  the  same  time  being  oc- 
cupied for  several  years  as  a  school 
teacher  in  Fairfield. 

Removing  in  1757  to  Dorchester,  S. 
C,  he  pursued  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession until,  in  the  following  year, 
anxious  to  advance  his  professional 
and  personal  interests,  and  attracted 
by  the  tidings  of  the  prosperity  of 
what' was  known  as  the  Midway  set- 
tlement in  southern  Georgia,  he  re- 
moved thither.  He  speedily  became 
the  leading  physician  of  the  town  and 
adjacent  country.  His  polite  address, 
literary  attainments,  public  spirit,  so- 
cial habits,  thoughtful  views  and  well- 
rounded  character,  united  in  rendering 
him  influential  and  popular  with  the 
inhabitants  of  St.  John's  parish.  For 
reasons  which  must  be  omitted  here, 
there  existed  in  the  colony  of  Georgia 
a  marked  division  of  sentiment  on  the 
political  questions  which  agitated  the 
community  during  the  years  immedi- 
ately preceding  open  rupture  between 
England  and  America.  A  provincial 
Congress  held  at  Savannah  declined  to 
send  delegates  to  the  First  Continent- 
al Congress,  and,  thereupon,  February 
9,  1775,  the  people  of  St.  John's  parish, 
at  a  meeting  held  at  Midway  and  pre- 
sided over  by  Lyman  Hall,  deputed  a 
committee  to  repair  to  Charlestown, 
S.  C,  and  request  of  the  committee  of 
correspondence  there,  permission  to 
form  an  alliance  with  them  under  the 
act  of  non-importation,  to  which  the 
people  of  St.  John's  parish  had  al- 
ready acceded.  The  committee  was 
given  a  carefully  prepared  letter, 
framed  and  signed  by  Dr.  Hall  as 
chairman.  The  request  being  deemed 
to  be  in  "violation  of  the  Continental 
association  to  remove  the  prohibition 
in  favor  of  any  part  of  a  province," 
was  denied. 

The  people  of  St.  John's  parish  then 
"resolved  to  prosecute  their  claims  to 
an  equality  with  the  confederated  col- 
onies," and  elected  Lyman  Hall  as  a ' 
delegate  to  represent  them  in  Con- 
gress. This  was  done  March  21,  1775, 
and  in  express  recognition  of  the  per- 
manent and  persistent  service  of  Dr. 
Hall  in  behalf  of  the  revolutionists. 


230 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


On  May  13,  1775,  he  presented  his 
credentials  to  Congress,  and  was 
unanimously  "admitted  as  a  delegate 
from  the  parish  of  St.  John's  in  the 
colony  of  Georgia,  subject  to  such 
regulations  as  Congress  should  deter- 
mine relative  to  his  vote."  Until 
Georgia  was  fully  represented,  he  de- 
clined to  vote  upon  questions  which 
were  to  be  decided  by  a  vote  of  the 
colonies.  He  participated,  however, 
in  the  debates,  recorded  his  opinion  In 
cases  where  an  expression  of  senti- 
ment by  colonies  was  not  required, 
and  declared  his  earnest  conviction 
"that  the  example  which  had  been 
shown  by  the  parish  which  he  repre- 
sented would  be  speedily  followed  and 
that  the  representation  of  Georgia 
would  soon  be  complete."  This  soon 
came  to  pass.  On  the  7th  of  July  fol- 
lowing, the  provincial  Congress  ap- 
pointed a  full  delegation  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  of  whom  Lyman 
Hall  was  one. 

As  Horace  Bushnell  has  somewhere 
said,  referring  to  the  powerful  influ- 
ence of  Lyman  Hall  on  the  sentiment 
and  policies  of  his  colony  in  this 
period,  "thus  was  Georgia  led  into 
the  revolution  by  the  hand  of  Con- 
necticut,' or,  as  we,  with  pardonable 
pride,  may  better  say,  "thus  was 
Georgia  led  into  the  revolution  by  the 
hand   of  Wallingford." 

Dr.  Hall  continued,  under  successive 
reappointments,  to  serve  his  colony  in 
Congress  until  1781,  participating  in 
all  its  deliberations  relative  to  the 
adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, and  signed  that  immortal 
instrument  in  associating  with  his  co- 
delegates,    Gwinnett  and   Walton. 

On  his  return  to  Georgia  he  maae 
his  home  and  practiced  his  profession 
in  Savannah.  In  January,  1783,  he 
was  elected  the  first  governor  of  the 
Independent  state  which  office  he 
held  for  one  year.  He  discharged  its 
functions  with  marked  dignity  and 
competency,  and  it  should  be  remem- 
bered to  his  perpetual  praise  that  by 
his  wise  suggestions  he  sounded  the 
keynote  and  paved  the  way  for  the 
foundation  and  sustentation  of  the 
"University  of  Georgia,"  which  for  a 
century  has  proven  the  parent  of  liigh- 


er  education  and  civilization  in 
Georgia.  He  died  October  19,  1790,  and 
was  buried,  as  was  also  his  only 
child,  John,  who  died  before  him,  and 
his  widow,  who  but  a  few  years  sur- 
vived him,  in  a  substantial  brick  vault 
situated  on  a  bold  bluff  overlooking 
the  Savannah  river.  About  1850,  his 
remains  were  removed  to  Augusta,  the 
capitol  of  his  state,  and  in  front  of  the 
City  hall  were  buried  with  those  of 
George  Walton,  his  associate  signer, 
under  the  foundation  stones  of  a  gran- 
ite obelisk  erected  in  loving  com- 
memoration of  their  illustrious  virtues 
and  public  services.  The  tablet  orig- 
inally covering  his  grave  was,  some 
years  later,  presented  to  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  by  whose  order  it  was  de- 
posited in  the  Center  street  burying 
ground  in  his  native  town  of  Walling- 
ford, and  on  the  5th  of  July,  1858,  was 
dedicated  with  ceremonies  of  an  elab- 
orate and  interesting  nature.  The  tab- 
let bears  this  inscription,  doubly  pa- 
thetic from  the  fact  that  its  beauti- 
ful sentiment  was  the  tribute 
of  his  bereaved  widow,  who  composed 
it: 


Beneath  this  stone  rests  the 
remains  of  Hon.  Lyman  Hall, 
formerly  governor  of  this 
state,  who  departed  this  life 
on  the  19th  day  of  October, 
1790,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  In  the  cause  of 
America  he  was  uniformely  a 
patriot.  In  the  incumbent 
duties  of  a  husband  and  a 
father  he  acquitted  himself 
with  affection  and  tenderness. 

But  reader,  above  all  know 
from  this  inscription  that  he 
left  this  probationary  state  as 
a  true  Christian  and  an  honest 
man. 

"To  those  so  mourned  in  death 
so  loved  in  life, 

The  childless  parent  and  the 
widowed  wife, 

With  tears  inscribes  this  mon- 
umental stone. 

That  holds  his  ashes  and  ex- 
pects her  own." 


CEXTE>;>C1AL  OF   MERIDEN. 


231 


Sncli  is  the  story,  of  necessity  inade- 
quate and  incomplete,  thougli  com- 
prising the  main  features,  of  the  public 
career  and  services  of  Lyman  Hall, 
the  most  illustrious  of  all  the  sons  of 
Wallingford,  and  whose  memory  shall 
remain  as  one  of  her  most  priceless 
possessions  till  time  shall  be  no  more. 

The  news  of  the  first  bloodshed  at 
Lexington  and  Concord  on  that  fateful 
19th  of  April,  1775,  was  circulated 
through  the  colonies  by  means  of 
■"horse  expresses"  and  reached  Wall- 
isgford  on  Friday,  the  21st  inst.  Un- 
der the  militia  establishment  which 
prevailed  in  the  colony  during  the  Rev- 
olutionary period,  the  companies  in 
Wallingford  and  Durham  formed  one 
regiment,  the  Tenth,  under  the  com- 
mand, at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  of 
Colonel  James  Wadsworth  of  Durham, 
later  promoted  to  a  major-generalship 
in  the  army.  The  news  of  Lexington 
was  carried  over  to  Durham  on  the 
22nd  inst.  and  on  the  next  day,  Sun- 
day the  23rd,  Colonel  Wadsworth  came 
to  Wallingford  and  called  for  twenty 
volunteers  from  each  of  the  two  Wall- 
ingford companies  to  unite  with  twen- 
ty from  the  Durham  company  and 
march  forthwith  to  the  defense  of 
Boston;  and  in  less  than  eight  and 
forty  hours,  ninety-nine  men  from 
Wallingford — sixty  under  Captain 
Isaac  Cook,  and  thirty-nine  from  Mer- 
iden  Parish,  members  of  an  independ- 
ent company  under  Captain  John 
Couch — with  forty-three  from  Durham, 
were  well  on  their  way  to  the  opening 
scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
These  numbers  gather  credit  when  it 
is  remembered  that  from  the  mother 
town  of  New  Haven  only  fifty-eight 
men,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Benedict  Arnold,  responded  to  the  call. 
An  interesting  incident  is  found  in  an 
account  (still  preserved  in  the  state  li- 
brary) rendered  at  this  time  by  one 
Jonathan  Kilbourn  for  ferrying  Cap- 
tain Couch  with  eighteen  men,  four 
horses  and  one  wagon  "across  Con- 
necticut river  at  Hartford,"  at  a  point 
where  the  Wallingford  company  also 
crossed.  Thus  at  the  inception  of  the 
war  did  our  forefathers  give  incontest- 
able proof  of  their  profound  sincerity 
of  purpose,  when,  a  decade  earlier,  or- 
ganizing as  bons  of  Liberty  they  had 
dared  to  declare  their  readiness  "to 
oppose  the  unconstitutional  stamp  act 


to  the  last  extremitv,  even  to  take  the 
field." 

No  sooner  had  the  Legislature  in 
May  issued  its  first  call  for  troops, 
than  Isaac  Cook,  lately  returned  from 
his  brief  service  in  the  Lexington 
alarm,  responded  with  sixty  more,  who 
rallied  with  a  promptness  hardly  ex- 
ceeded by  the  men  of  his  earlier  com- 
mand. And  again  on  the  second  call 
in  July  Street  Hall  (younger  brother  of 
Lyman  Hall,  the  signer)  and  sundry 
others  were  no  less  instant  in  dedicat- 
ing themselves  to  the  cause  they  held 
so  dear.  And  so,  from  Lexington  to 
Yorktown,  few  towns,  if  any,  in  the 
colony  surpassed  our  own  either  in 
regard  of  the  number  of  enlisted  men 
or  the  alacrity  with  which  on  every 
appeal  they  flew  to  the  defense  of  their" 
liberties.  Cook's  company,  marching 
first  to  New  York  in  late  June;  thence 
in  September,  by  order  of  Congress, 
to  Schuyler's  command— participating 
in  the  operations  along  Lakes  George 
and  Champlain.  and  assisting  in  the 
reduction  of  St.  John's  in  October; 
Captain  Street  Hall  (also  lieutenant 
colonel)  and  Lieutenant  Titus  Moss 
during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  '75- 
'76  with  their  command  at  Boston  on 
Winter  Hill  in  Sullivan's  brigade,  on 
the  left  of  the  besieging  line,  and 
Street  Hall  again,  with  his  regiment 
reorganized  for  service  in  '76  as  the 
"Nineteenth  Continental."  in  the  thick 
of  the  fight  at  White  Plains,  Trenton 
and  Princeton;  Nathaniel  Bunnell, 
with  his  Company  7  of  the  Fifth  Bat- 
talion, Wadsworth's  brigade,  composed 
of  seventy  men  of  Wallingford  also  at 
White  Plains,  and  at  the  right  of  the 
line  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island;  John 
Couch,  in  Bradley's  Battalion,  Wads- 
worth's  brigade,  with  his  eighty-six 
doughty  men  in  large  part  from  Meri- 
den  parish,  near  Fort  Lee  under  Gen- 
eral Green  in  October  '76,  assisting  in 
the  defense  of  Fort  Montgomery  in 
November  following,  and  when  it  fell, 
on  the  16th  instant,  made  prisoner 
with  thirty-two  of  his  command,  to- 
gether with  the  whole  garrison;  Thad- 
deus  Cook,  major  in  Ward's  regiment 
distinguishing  himself  at  Trenton  and 
Princeton  by  the  same  intrepidity  and 
skill  that  later  brought  him  lasting  re- 
nown on  another  field.  Such  is  the 
main  outline  of  the  movements  and  oc- 
cupations of  our  heroic  grandsires  up 


232 


CEXTEXXIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


to  the  disbandment  of  the  "establish- 
ment" at  the  end  of  '76. 

Under  the  new  formation  of  the 
army,  known  as  the  "Continental 
Line,"  1777-1781,  six  regiments  of  the 
Connecticut  "Line,"  embracing  the 
Seventh  regiment,  whose  muster  rolls 
were  luminous  with  the  names  of 
Wallingford  men,  including  Lieut. 
Ephraim  Chamberlain  who,  two  years 
later,  especially  distinguished  himself 
at  Stony  Brook,  were  ordered  at  dif- 
ferent times  in  '77  to  Washington's 
main  army  in  Pennsylvania,  and,  par- 
ticipating in  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  then  at  Valley  Forge  during  the 
memorable  winter  of  '77-'78,  sharing 
the  victory  of  Monmouth  in  June  fol- 
lowing, they  encamped  in  July  at 
White  Plains,  near  the  battle  ground 
of  '70. 

Here  they  were  soon  joined  by  the 
three  remaining  regiments  of  the 
Connecticut  "Line,"  which  included  the 
Sixth,  in  whose  ranks  the  Wallingford 
men  of  the  "Line,"  not  contained  in 
the  Seventh,  were  principally  enrolled, 
and  among  whose  officers  were  our 
own  John  Mansfield,  Joseph  Shaler  and 
Levi  Munson,  all  Commissioned  Lieu- 
tenants. 

These  three  regiments  had  served 
under  Putnam  in  August-October,  '77, 
and  engaged  in  the  movements  made 
in  consequence  of  the  enemy's  attempt 
against  Fort  Montgomery.  Winter- 
ing at  West  Point  in  '77-78  they  en- 
camped with  the  main  army  at  White 
Plains,  as  just  stated. 

Meantime,  the  campaign  on  the  up- 
per Hudson  had  been  brought  to  a  tri- 
umphant close  in  the  surrender  of 
Burgoyne  and  his  army  at  the  second 
battle  of  Saratoga,  October  0,  '77,  a 
battle  whose  tremendous  import  and 
far-reaching  influence  well  justifies  its 
classification  by  Creasy,  recognized  as 
an  authority  of  the  highest  compe- 
tency, as  one  of  the  fifteen  decisive 
battles  of  the  world.  It  was  not  to 
be,  thank  God,  that  Connecticut  should 
have  no  part,  or  yet  but  a  humble  part 
in  that  immortal  struggle;  nor  were 
the  dear  men  of  Wallingford,  always 
in  evidence  where  lurked  the  greatest 
peril,  or  need  was,  of  unconquerable 
valor,  to  be  denied  their  full  share  of 
its  coveted  sacrifices  or  its  surpassing 
glories. 


At  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Wash- 
ington, two  large  regiments  of  militia 
from  Connecticut,  composed  of  detach- 
ments from  all  the  brigades,  were  or- 
dered to  re-enforce  Gates  at  Saratoga 
in  the  summer  of  '77.  The  occupation 
of  the  entire  Connecticut  "Line"  else- 
where under  Washington  and  Putnam, 
exalted  the  opportunity  of  these  mili- 
tia-men, who,  alone  from  our  state, 
(excepting  the  first  troop  of  Sheld.on's 
famous  Light  Dragoons,  which,  includ- 
ing its  contingent  from  Wallingford, 
gave  splendid  account  of  themselves) , 
participated  in  these  memorable  con- 
tests, sealing  the  proofs  of  their  cour- 
age and  intrepidity  m  the  first  battle 
of  September  19th,  by  the  loss  of  more 
men  than  any  other  two  regiments  in 
the  engagement. 

One  of  these  regiments,  containing 
a  goodly  number  of  his  towns-men, 
was  commanded  by  our  own  Tnaddeus 
Cook,  who,  already  distinguished,  as 
I  have  related,  for  his  prowess  at  Tren- 
ton and  Princeton,  displayed  in  both 
Saratoga  battles  a  sublimity  of  cour- 
age, resourcefulness,  and  skill,  that 
ranks  him  among  the  illustrious  com- 
manders of  the  Revolution,  and  should 
enshrine  his  memory  in  the  affection- 
ate gratitude  of  his  countrymen  to 
the  latest  posterity. 

At  the  storming  of  Stony  Point, 
July  15,  '79,  which  for  skill,  dash  and 
completeness  of  achievement  was  not 
surpassed  in  all  that  war,  among  the 
four  hundred  picked  men  from  the 
Connecticut  division  in  the  Light  In- 
fantry corps  that  formed  a  part  of 
General  Wayne's  right  column  were 
not  a  few  of  the  brave  men  of  our 
town,  including  in  positions  of  com- 
mand Captain  Ephraim  Chamberlain 
of  the  7th,  and  Lieutenant  Joseph 
Shaler  of  the  6th,  already  mentioned, 
who  had  been  detached  for  this  ser- 
vice. Heroes  all,  who  by  the  gallant- 
ry and  invincibility  which  they  exhibit- 
ed in  that  terrific,  midnight  assault, 
achieved  a  fame  and  a  glory,  inviola- 
ble forever. 

The  entire  Connecticut  "Line"  were 
encamped  with  the  main  army  at 
Morristown  the  following  winter,  a 
winter  the  most  trying  exjierienced 
during  the  Revolution — long  known  as 
the  famous  winter  of  1780.  when  hun- 
ger, cold  and  want  of  clothing  caused 
great   suffering  among  the  troops. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


^i2> 


During  1780,  three  Light  Infantry 
corps  had  been  organized  for  some 
special  object.  The  first  was  that  de- 
tached in  February  '81  under  Lafay- 
ette to  operate  in  Virginia,  and  with 
which  that  officer  led  his  lively  cam- 
paign against  Cornwallis,  being  al- 
most constantly  on  the  march,  re- 
treating, advancing,  skirmishing  from 
May  until  in  early  August  Cornwallis 
took  post  at  Yorktown.  It  included 
three  light  regiments,  one  of  which  un- 
der Colonel  Gimat,  a  French  officer, 
and  Colonel  Wyllis  of  the  Third,  con- 
tained five  companies  from  the  Con- 
necticut "Line,"  one  being  composed 
of  picked  men  from  the  Fourth  regi- 
ment, one-fifth  of  whom,  including  its 
lieutenant,  John  Mansfield,  who  was 
detached  for  this  service,  were  from 
Wallingford:  and  I  have  the  proud 
satisfaction  to  relate  that  another 
member  of  that  command  was  my  rev- 
ered great-grandfather,  God  bless 
his  memory,  Timothy  Scranton  of  Guil- 
ford. 

These  five  companies  including, 
mark  you  well,  the  Wallingford  men, 
with  two  companies  from  Massachu- 
setts, and  one  from  Rhode  Island, 
formed  the  battalion  which  led  the 
column  that  stormed  one  of  the  en- 
emy's redoubts  on  the  night  of  the 
14th  of  October,  the  event  which, 
more  than  any  other,  led  to  the 
surrender  of  Cornwallis  five  days 
later. 

Agamemnon  found  it  an  invidious  af- 
fair to  give  the  preference  to  any 
one  of  the  Grecian  heroes.  And  may 
my  tongue  forever  cleave  to  the 
roof  of  my  mouth,  should  I  wittingly 
by  one  whit  detract  from  the  splendid 
valor  of  those  nol)le  men  of  my  town 
who  stood  in  the  van  of  the  storm- 
ing column  at  Yorktown.  But  there 
was  glory  enough  for  all,  and  I  have 
yet  to  tell  of  an  act  of  individual 
gallantry  unsurpassed  in  the  annals 
of  war,  and  which  crowned  that  im- 
mortal struggle  as  with  a  halo  of  ce- 
lestial lisrht  and  beauty. 

John  Mansfield  of  Wallingford  en- 
listed on  the  first  call  for  troops  by 
the  Legislature  Anril-May  '75,  in 
Captain  Isaac  Cook's  company  and 
served  as  sergeant  until  the  28th  of 
November  next  following,  when  he 
was  mustered  out  of  service:  re- 
enlisting      in      the      Fifth      battalion. 


Wadswcrth's  brigade,  in  June 
'76,  he  was  appointed  ensign, 
participated  in  the  battle  of  White 
Plains  in  the  following  October,  and 
was  discharged  on  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service  December  2.5. 
On  the  formation  of  the  "Continental 
Line"  in  January  '77,  he  re-enlisted 
for  the  war,  was  commissioned  lieu- 
tenant March  4,  '77;  first  lieutenant 
March  31,  '79,  and  continued  in  the 
service  until  he  retired  with  the  army 
in  June  '83.  Detached  from  the  ser- 
vice for  that  purpose,  he  was  made 
lieutenant  of  the  Light  Infantry  Co.  of 
his  regiment,  the  Fourth,  which 
formed  a  part  of  the  Light  Infantry 
corps  under  the  command  of  Lafaj^- 
ette  at  the  southward  in  '81,  and 
participated,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
in  the  terrific  assault  on  the  enemy's 
redoubt  at  Yorktown  October  14th. 

Before  the  advance  was  made,  La- 
fayette called  for  twenty  volunteers  to 
form  a  "forlorn  hope,"  who  should 
abandon  their  lives  to  certain  destruc- 
tion, for  the  term  imports  exactly 
that,  and,  amid  the  rain  of  bullets  and 
belching  flame,  and  horrible  slaugh- 
ter, and  every  barbarity  possible  to 
the  desperation  and  fury  of  hand  to 
hand  encounter,  should  attempt  to 
scale  the  gruesome  outwork  in  ad- 
vance of  the  assaulting  battalions.  The 
first  man  to  respond  was  our  own  John 
Mansfield,  who  led  his  compan- 
ions of  the  "forlorn  hope"  up 
the  steep  face  of  the  redoubt,  and, 
though  wounded  in  the  conflict,  was 
first  to  gain  the  parapet.  His  ir- 
resistible dash  and  God-like  courage 
were  the  fitting  climax  of  all  the  glo- 
rious sacrifices  and  brilliant  feats  that 
had  gone  before,  and  should  serve  to 
transmit  his  name  and  fame  in  ever 
brightening  luster  to  generations  yet 
unborn. 

ADDRESS    BY    GEN.     H     B.    CAR- 
RINGTON. 

My  Countrymen — I  stand  before  you 
to-day  as  a  son  of  our  common  moth- 
er, Wallingford.  Not  unlike  ancient 
Zion,  she  sitteth  upon  a  hill  of  beau- 
ty just  over  yonder  between  two  sum- 
raits,  east  and  west,  the  one  "Whirl- 
wind Hill"  and  the  other  "Mount 
Tom."  From  each  summit,  at  the 
bright   simrise   hour,   the  opening  eye 


234 


CEXTEXXIAL  OF   MERIDEX, 


can  catch  the  waters  of  Long  Island 
Sound,  flashing  as  beautifully  before 
the  sight,  as  when  the  waters  of  the 
great  western  sea  of  Hebrew  history 
delighted  the  outlook  from  Lebanon 
or  Carniel.  indeed,  south  of  Mount 
Tom,  on  the  New  England  range,  that 
separates  Wallingford  from  her  other 
foster-town,  Cheshire,  known  further 
north  as  the  Green  and  White  Moun- 
tains, and  with  a  bold  front  seaward, 
which  you  call  Hanging  Rock,  (with 
its  perpetual  "ice  house,")  and  closing 
with  an  equally  proud  frontage  to  the 
sea  at  New  Haven,  called  East  Rock, 
there  was  a  real  Mount  Carmel,  in  the 
town  of  Hamden,  itself  deriving  its 
name  from  that  of  the  "Patriot  Hamp- 
den" of  English  history. 

I  am  not  here  to  trace  the  colonial, 
revolutionary  or  progressive  lives  of 
our  common  ancestors  up  to  my  own 
childhood,  more  than  eighty  years  ago, 
but  to  talk  familiarly  with  the  grand- 
children, and  great-grandchildren  of 
those  who  one  hundred  years  ago  left 
the  old  eagles'  nest  to  migrate  hither 
and  go  to  housekeeping  for  themselves 
directly  on  the  Boston  and  New  York 
stage  route  just  midway  between  the 
twin  capitals  of  God-worshipping  and 
liberty-loving  old  Connecticut. 

That  was  a  transition  period  of  his- 
toric significance.  The  people  had 
lived  under  and  enjoyed  the  fran- 
chises and  inherited  the  same  rights 
and  prerogatives  inspired  by  "Magna 
Charta,  that  both  filled  their  souls 
and  swelled  the  sails  wnen  they  took 
refuge  on  this  rock -bound  coast  to  es- 
cape the  exactions  of  the  unchristian 
and  unsympathetic  rule  of  their  moth- 
er country. 

Their  lives  were,  indeed,  shapen  by 
the  memories  of  the  past  rather  than 
by  those  of  the  immediate  present  or 
its  opening  future;  and  yet,  thft 
"mother  nest"  must  be  vacated  that 
both  mother  and  offspring  might 
have  a  larger  and  more  independent 
life.  Even  in  my  own  childhood  there 
were  still  living  many  grand  old  men 
and  women,  who  cherished  and  loved 
to  tell  stories  of  the  past,  which  they 
in  childhood  oft  heard  whilst  seated 
on  the  knees  of  the  first  settlers  of 
New  Haven  and  Plymouth. 


The  general  occupation  of  the  peo- 
ple was  that  of  farming,  as  was  that 
of  the  ancient  Hebrew;  but  their  lands 
gradually  became  too  restricted  for 
profitable  culture,  as  generations  mul- 
tiplied through  their  prolific  example. 

I  must  be  pardoned  a  personal  rem- 
iniscence, much  needed  to  illustrate 
my  thought,  as  personal  reminiscences 
are  what  largely  prompted  your  call 
for  my  presence  to-day.  It  is  one  of 
my  earliest  memories,  and  possibly 
more  distinct  because  being  the  first 
death  I  ever  witnessed. 

On  the  19th  day  of  December,  1831, 
I  stood  with  my  mother  by  the  bed- 
side of  one  of  these  grand  old  men, 
her  grandfather.  Captain  Caleb  At- 
water.  He  was  living  with  his 
daughter,  Mary  (widow  of  Rev.  David 
L.  Beebee)  while  his  only  son,  Joshua, 
a  deacon  in  the  Congregational 
church  and  devoted  to  its  support, 
occupied  the  old  homestead,  on  the 
diagonal  opposite  corner,  and  con- 
ducted its  large  farming  concerns. 

On  the  day  referred  to,  ever  active 
in  all  home  interest,  he  rode  horse- 
back to  the  North  Farms  for  the  fam- 
ily "grist",  took  cold  and  peacefully 
crossed  the  Silent  River,  at  the  age 
of  91.  He  was  one  of  these  al- 
ready noticed,  full  of  reminiscences 
of  the  past.  Many  of  these,  preserved 
by  my  mother,  were  cherished  by  my- 
self, as  among  the  most  valuable 
lessons  of  my  childhood. 

I  especially  remember  finding  his 
old  cocked-hat  and  sword  in  what 
was  called  the  "Tow  Chamber"  and 
it  was  said,  that,  "when  Dick"  (Rich- 
ard) Smith,  the  hired  man  of  Dr. 
Andrews,  used  the  old  sword  to  cut 
cornstalks,  I  expressed  the  "wish 
that  his  own  head  might  be  cut  off  by 
it",  which  wicked  hope,  however,  was 
never  realized. 

Like  so  many  descendants  from 
early  New  Enarland  stock  and  their 
immediate  procenitovs,  his  name  had 
been  borrowed  from  the  familv  Bible. 
This  was  indeed  a  bio2;vanhical  en- 
cyclopaedia from  which  the  old  stonk 
associated  children  on  their  birth 
with  the  names  and  places  of  most 
an'^ient  Bible  history,  at  a  time  when 
many  children  were  esteemed  worthy 
of  a  divinely  promised  blessing  in  the 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


235 


home  as  of  "olive  plants  around     the 
table." 

Indeed,  the  old  family  Bible  had  a 
special  "family  record"  Interpolated 
between  the  Old  Testament  history 
and  its  genealogical  grouping  which 
introduced  the  historic  era  of  human 
life  that  began  1906  years  ago.  I  em- 
phasize this  point  to  note  the  fact 
that  this  single  Atwater  surname  of 
old  Wallingford  experience  is  pre- 
fixed by  more  than  eighty  names 
taken  from  the     Old  and  New  Testa- 


GEN.   H.   B.   CARRINGTON. 

ment,  ranging  from  Adam  down  to 
Titus  and  Zeanas,  which  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

Adam,  Aaron,  Abel,  Abiah,  Abigail, 
Abraham,  Ahaz,  Amzl,  Anna,  Asa, 
Asaph,  Bela,  Benjamin,  Caleb,  Cor- 
nelia, Damaris,  Daniel,  David,  Dorcas, 
Ebenezer,  Eldad,  Elias,  Elihu,  Elisha, 
Elizabeth,  Elnathan,  Enos,  Ephraim, 
Esther,  Erasmus,  Eunice,  Ezra,  Hi- 
ram, Hulda,  Ichabod,  Ira,  Isaac,  Jac- 
ob, James,  Jared,  Jehiel,  Jeremiah, 
Jesse,  Joanna,  John,  Jonah,  Jona- 
than, Joseph,  Joshua,  Jotham,  Levi, 
Lydia,    Martha,    Mary,    Medad,   Merab, 


Mehitabel,  Miriam,  Moses,  Naomi, 
Nathan,  Noah,  Rachel,  Rebecca,  Reu- 
ben, Rhoda,  Ruth,  Samuel,  Sarah, 
Seth,  Silas,  Simeon,  Stephen,  Thomas, 
Timothy,  Titus  and  Zeanas.  Perhaps 
without  precedent  in  America's  his- 
tory. 

LARGE    AXD    PROMINENT    FAMILIES. 

More  significant  is  the  fact  that  dur- 
ing six  generations  of  the  same  stock 
from  the  first  landing  at  New  Haven, 
1  family  was  blessed  with  15  children 


1 

4 

4 

7 

17 

17 

23 

23 

16 


14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

8 

7 

6 


ave- 


Families,  114;     children,  990; 
rage  about  eight. 

This  instance  is  not  an  exceptional 
illustration  of  the  faith  of  our  fathers 
in  the  injunctions  and  covenants  of  the 
Almighty  Father  with  Israel  and  his 
seed  forever. 

At  that  time  many  of  the  parents  of 
those  who  migrated  to  Meriden  were 
still  living,  exchanging  frequent  visits, 
and  bringing  many  visitors  to  the  old 
homesteads  and  attendants  at  the 
home  churches  during  the  Thanks- 
giving and  Christmas  weeks. 

In  the  erection  of  their  new  home, 
(now  your  Meriden)  the  churches  were 
located  centrally  as  at  Wallingford, 
near  the  central  stage  exchange  tav- 
ern, and  upon  the  highest  ground  of 
the  new  town. 

In  addition  to  farming  as  an  occupa- 
tion, with  easy  access  to  Middletown 
and  its  water  communication  with  New 
York  and  Hartford  by  sloop  as  well  as 
conveniences  in  the  annual  capture  of 
Connecticut  river  shad  to  be  salted  for 
winter's  use,  there  began  to  develop 
new  branches  of  mechanical  and  man- 
ufacturing industry.  With  the  addi- 
tion of  railroad  facilities  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  corresponding  to  the  Walling- 
ford hill,  from  its  church  centers  to 
the  plains  below,  the  water-power  of 
the  Quinnipiac  river  and  its  tributaries 
began  to  be  utilized  and  the  founda- 
tions were  laid  for  its  present  unrival- 
ed precedence  in  many  honored 
branches  of  mechanical  product. 


236 


CEXTEXXIAL  OF   MERIDEX, 


Although  Wallingford  itself  was  al- 
most wholly  a  farming  town,  mulberry 
trees  were  cultivated  on  the  western 
plains  below  the  town  to  feed  silk 
worms  from  which  silk  was  procured 
for  the  manufacture  of  lustring,  a 
name  then  given  to  material  from 
which  dresses  were  made  and  of  which 
Washington  procured  enough  to  make 
a  suit  for  himself. 

Entei'prising  citizens,  however,  had 
stretched  out  their  arms  to  grapple  for 
Ijoth  trade  and  new  homes   elsewhere 


ford  and  vicinity  contributed  from  the 
families  of  Atwater,  Andrews,  Cook, 
Hall,  Kelley  and  Wilcox  more  than  any 
other  New  England  town. 

Although  of  personal  relation,  the 
emigration  to  Ohio  belongs  to  per- 
sonal reminiscence,  which  you  have 
evoked  from  me,  as  I  also  followed 
Mr.  Andrews  and  Mr.  Wilcox,  to  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  in  1848. 
■  Captain  Atwater,  who  initiated  the 
Ohio  emigration,  was  president  and 
manager  of     the     Connecticut     Land 


CAHTLL  BLOCK.  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


for  its  multiplying  offspring;  dealing 
with  the  West  Indies,  and  even  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  through  New  Hav- 
en's sea-going  craft,  and  planting 
prosperous  and  productive  colonies 
both  in  central  and  northern  Ohio.  The 
latter  was  called  a  "Western  Reserve" 
because  set  apart  by  the  government  to 
compensate  Connecticut  for  the  sur- 
render of  her  fantastic  "Charter  limits 
to  the  Pacific"  long  bearing  the  proud 
title  of  New  Connecticut,  to  which  as 
well  as  to  Oclumbus,    Ohio,    Walling- 


Company,  which  he  conducted  on 
strict  business  methods,  paying  for 
all  individual  purchases  upon  receipt 
of  the  deeds  therefor,  and  began  at 
once,  to  utilize  the  land  for  imme- 
diate settlement.  His  son  Joshua, 
and  his  son-in-law  Dr.  John  Andrews, 
made  personal  journeys  to  Ohio,  to 
locate  their  lands  designating  by  the 
name  "Atwater,"  one  township,  for 
immediate  occupation. 

Three  of  his  daughters  married   in 
Catskill,       respectively,     Ira    B.  Day. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


237 


Thomas  B.  Cook,  and  ApoUos  Cook. 
One  son  of  Mr.  Day  (William)  organ- 
ized the  first  Seamen's  Bethel  chapel 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Rev.  Dr.  Aiken,  for 
many  years  minister  in  the  First 
Church  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  One 
daughter  married  Captain  Merrick,  of 
Branford,  Conn.,  and  another.  Dr. 
John  Andrews,  already  noticed.  Sev- 
eral of  the  Merrick  children  subse- 
quently made  their  homes  in  Ohio, 
as  well  as  Dr.  Andrews'  four  children. 
Sherlock  J.  Andrews  settled  at  Cleve- 
land, where  he  served  as  a  member 
of  Congress  and  Superior  Court  judge 
with  John  A.  Foote,  from  our  foster- 
town  Cheshire,  as  his  law  partner. 
The  second  son,  John  Whiting,  was 
distinguished  as  a  lawyer  at  Colum- 
bus, Ohio.  The  third  son,  William, 
a  farmer,  married  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
James  Noyes  of  Wallingford,  and  set- 
tled at  Penfield,  O.  Dr.  Andrews' 
only  daughter,  Jane,  married  John  M. 
M^'oolsey,  who  also  settled  at  Cleve- 
land, O.,  and  Dr.  Andrew^  himself, 
subsequently  married  another  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Mr.  Noyes,  and  lived  in 
Ohio,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age. 

Several  sons  and  daughters  of  Cap- 
tain Atwater's  only  son,  Joshua,  also 
found  homes  in  "New  Connecticut," 
both  Thomas  and  Caleb  having  first 
lived  wher^  the  Merricks  settled. 
Two  sons  and  one  daughter  of  John 
Barker,  of  Pond  Hill,  and  later.  Dr. 
William  Atwater,  found  their  way 
westward,  where  another  daughter 
married  Dr.  Jared  Potter  Kirtland, 
who  made  Ohio  the  chief  center  of 
his  large  scientific  experience  and  at- 
tainment. One  daughter  married 
Lieutenant  Garret  Barry  of  the  Army, 
who  after  the  Mexican  War,  made  his 
home  still  further  west  at  Milwau- 
kee, Wis.  Two  daughters  survive 
him.  and  live  in  Wallingford.  One 
daughter  married  Dr.  Friend  Cook, 
the  predecessor  of  Dr.  Harrison,  a 
physician  of  Wallingford,  and  Dr. 
Cook  also  moved  to  Ohio.  John,  who 
for  many  years  cultivated  the  home 
farm,  also  succeeded  him  as  deacon 
of  the  Congregational  church.  Upon 
retiring  from  the  farm  work,  he  in- 
terested himself  in  the  public 
schools,  dying  at  an  advanced  age, 
leaving   one   daughter   surviving   him. 


He  successively  married  two  daugh- 
ters of  Deacon  Russell  Hall,  neither 
of  whom  survived  him. 

Only  one  son  remained  permanent- 
ly in  Old  Wallingford  (Edgar)  who 
as  a  lawyer  exhibited  a  versatility  of 
strength,  eloquence  and  refined  wit, 
that  promised  eminence  in  his  pro- 
fession, had  not  death  prematurely 
intervened.  Three  daughters  survive 
him. 

Several  of  the  Cooks  and  Halls 
moved  westward;  President  Hayes 
having  married  at  Columbus,  Ohio, 
Miss  Piatt,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
Cooks,  who  lived  somewhere  not  far 
east  from  Long  Hill.  President 
Hayes  in  vain  endeavored  to  locate 
its  site. 

He  visited  the  old  Burying  Ground, 
and  when  he  read  "In  memory  of 
Billions  Cook"  (the  Christian  name 
"Billious"  not  being  rare)  quaintly 
expressed  the  query,  "whether  the 
migration  of  some  of  the  Cook  stock, 
westward,  could  in  any  measure  af- 
fect the  Ohio  climate." 

Certain  it  is,  that  Judge  Choate 
thinks  it  would  be  "worth  a  prize"  if 
some  Wallingford  antiquarian  would 
discover  the  origin  of  the  name. 
One  of  Wallingford's  leading  citi- 
zens, Mr.  Roderick  Curtis,  famed  for 
his  ready  repartee,  when  asked  what 
the  middle  initial  of  one  Billious  C. 
Cook  stood  for,  promptly  replied, 
"  'Billious   Colic'  of  course." 

Phineas  B.  Wilcox,  who  lived  on 
the  eastern  border  of  Meriden, 
towards  Middletown,  married  a 
daughter  of  Salina  Andrews,  and 
with  her  brother  Samuel,  moved  to 
Columbus,  O.  He  became  distin- 
guished as  a  jurist,  and  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  City  Common  School 
system.  There  Mrs.  Andrews  lived 
and  died,     at  a  very  advanced  age. 

Alfred  Kelly,  from  Middletown,  also 
moved  to  Columbus,  became  a  man 
of  wealth  and  influence,  and  was  the 
efficient  president  of  the  first  rail- 
road built  from  Cleveland  to  that 
city. 

TOPOGRAPHY    OF     WALLINGFORD. 

You  are  so  familiar  with  the  to- 
pography of  our  Mother  town  that  I 
refer  to  it  as  a  guide  in  reminiscences 
of  the  past. 


238 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


One  Main  street  extends  along  a 
grassy  ridge  east  of  the  Quinnipiac 
river  and  the  intervening  sea-bed, 
called  the  Plains,  a  mile  in  length.  At 
each  end  a  long  but  easy  slope  drops 
off,  the  one  from  the  old  Todd  house 
near  the  big  elm  northward  toward 
your  own  Meriden,  and  the  other 
southward  from  the  old  Rice  Hall 
house  toward  North  Haven,  where  it 
blends  with  the  Plains.  This  street 
is  crossed  at  its  center  by  another 
street  (now  known  as  Center  street) 
and  extends  westward  across  the  Quin- 
nipiac river  at  Humiston's  old  mill, 
joins  the  old  Boston  and  New  York 
stage  route,  and  connects  with  what  was 
called  the  "West  Farms"  and  then 
reaches  Cheshire.  Its  course  east- 
ward, crossing  Munson's  brook  below 
Elm  street,  leads  through  the  "East 
Farms,"  (of  which  further  notice  will 
be  taken)  to  Northford  as  well  as  over 
"Whirl-wind  Hill"  past  Pistepaug 
Lake  (Paug  pond)  and  thence  to  Mid- 
dlefield  and  Durham. 

From  the  main  street  eastward  there 
was  one  gradual  slope  of  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  to  a  long  meadow  valley 
east  of  which  the  whole  country  grad- 
ually rises  toward  "Whirl-wind  Hill" 
with  here  and  there  small  streams  and 
narrow  valleys  intervening. 

Along  the  foot  of  the  first  slope  from 
the  main  street  is  a  parallel  street, 
now  known  as  Elm  street,  but  formerly 
called  Lower  street,  the  pre-i^nt  Main 
street  then  being  distinguished  as  Up- 
per street.  I  shall  use  the  old  names. 
At  the  very  center  of  Upper  street 
was  the  historic  "Town  Green"  com- 
mon to  all  New  England  towns  for 
public  gatherings,  especially  for  the 
annual  "Training  Day,"  "Independence 
Day."  and  other  rallies  of  the  people 
in  mass;  "Menagerie- Day"  being  es- 
pecially honored. 

Midway  between  the  center  and  the 
Rice  Hall  house.  (Doctor  Rice  Hall, 
his  Christian  name,  as  a  seventh  son 
being  Doctor),  a  street  known  as  Grav- 
el hill  (from  its  red  gravel)  ran  east- 
ward to  Lower  street  and  there  blend- 
ed with  that  street  in  its  course  by  the 
old  Edward  Hall  house  (known  as  the 
"Dublin  District"  with  its  splendid 
maples)  thence  to  the  .Tohn  Barker 
place  (known  as  Pond  Hill,  a  little 
pond  of  water  near  by)  and  thence  to 
Noithford     and  North     Haven.       This 


John  Barker,  the  son-in-law  of  Captain 
Atwater,  was  prominent  in  Masonic 
order,  and  at  his  decease  was  buried 
with  full  Masonic  honors.  I  remem- 
ber the  event  as  of  yesterday.  His 
family  servant  was  Cato,  the  last  slave 
owned  in  the  state  of  Connecticut;  and 
Cato  in  his  two-wheeled  donkey  cart 
and  "fiddle,"  always  anxiously  waited 
for,  was  an  indispensible  factor  when 
at  Thanksgivings  or  at  other  times  the 
ball  room  of  the  Washington  Tavern 
was  suitably  decorated  for  an  old-fash- 
ioned dance. 

My  sister,  Mrs.  Gilbert,  still  re- 
members that  on  one  Training  Day, 
old  Cato  rescued  her  from  the  onset 
of  the  Wallingford  Dragoons,  when 
they  suddenly  turned  the  Lewis  Cor- 
ner, and  scattered  the  children,  who 
were  not  suspicious  of  the  move- 
ment. 

Eastward  from  the  foot  of  Gravel  hill 
crossing  Munson's  brook,  a  lane  ex- 
tended to  the  summit  of  Long  hill  from 
which  the  entire  village  appeared  as 
if  upon  one  common  level.  This  hill 
was  topped  with  slender  poplar  trees, 
a  land  mark  for  miles  around,  and 
chiefly  known  for  its  huckleberries, 
blackberries,  and  snakes. 

Midway  between  the  center  and  the 
Todd  place  at  the  head  of  Upper  street 
a  street  known  as  Christian  street  ex- 
tended eastwardly  from  the  present 
High  school  corner  across  Elm  street 
and  Atwater's  brook.  >vhich  finally 
unites  with  Munson's  brook  on  Center 
street,  and  then  crosses  a  little  valley, 
running  up  the  slope  past  the  old  John 
Weber  and  Hubbard  Jones'  places,  and 
forming  a  most  direct  route  to  Old 
Durham,  Middlefield  and  Middletown. 

Elm  street  continuing  northward 
from  its  junction  with  Christian  street, 
extended  north  eastwardly  through  the 
"North  Farms"  and  thus  formed  an- 
other avenue  of  approach  to  both  Mid- 
dletown and  its  cross  communications 
with  your  Meriden. 

The  house  at  the  head  of  Main 
street,  known  as  the  Todd  house, 
from  the  family  occupying  it  during 
my  boyhood,  should  be  known  proper- 
ly, as  the  Royce,  or  Rice  house,  hav- 
ing been  originally  built,  perhaps  two 
hundred  years  ago  or  more,  by  James 
Royce.  (or  Rice)  the  great  great 
grandfather  of  Miss  Mary  T^.  Rice, 
the  last  of  the  family  born  in  the  old 


CENTEXNIAL   OF    MERIDEX. 


239 


mansion,  and  now  a  teacher  of  high- 
er mathematics  and  history,  in  tne 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  school  system. 

From  the  Todd  house  to  I^ower 
street  there  was  also  an  open  roadway 
without  a  house,  but  on  a  short  lane 
parallel  with  it  was  the  house  of  one, 
John  Beaumont,  a  world-wide  voyager, 
eccentric  in  his  ways,  but  especially 
famous  for  relics  brought  from  the 
Bast  Indies,  and  choice  nautical  instru- 
ments which  he  had  preserved  upon  re- 
turn from  his  last  voyage. 

From  the  foot  of  the  road  sloping 
northward  from  the  Todd  house  to- 
ward Meriden  there  branched  another 
road  to  Yalesville,  named  after  Charles 
Yale,  where  a  mill-dam  and  factory  on 
the  Quinnipiac  river  had  long  been  in 
use  (formerly  known  as  Tyler's).  The 
manufactory  products  of  Mr.  Yale  had 
a  large  market,  especially  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  as  his  son  advised  me  only 
yesterday.  There  was  also  a  road  on 
the  "Plains"  north  of  the  Parker  house 
(hereafter  to  be  mentioned),  crossing 
the  Quinnipiac  river  at  Horsford's 
bridge,  and  also  the  Boston  and  Npw 
York  turnpike,  thence  running  direct 
to  Cheshire. 

The  so-called  Plains  road,  running 
north  and  south  parallel  with  the  Up- 
per street  (now  your  own  beautiful 
"Old  Colony"  street),  had  but  one  sub- 
stantial residence  in  its  entire  length, 
namely  the  Parker  house,  and  was 
rarely  used. 

Midway  between  Center  and  Chris- 
tian streets,  connecting  upper  and 
lower  streets,  was  another  street 
named  Academy  Lane  (from  the  col- 
legiate academy  located  there). 

All  the  streets  mentioned  were 
lined  with  choice  trees,  either  elm  or 
maple.  The  trees  indicated  by  its 
name  on  Elm  street  were  brought  by 
ox-teams,  belonging  to  captain  Caleb 
Atwater,  from  Cheshire,  twelve  to  the 
cart  load. 

The  maples  and  elms  upon  the 
Main  street  had  been  Indiscriminately 
planted  as  the  old  settlers  established 
their  homes;  but  about  sixty  years 
ago  an  "Ornamental  Tree  society" 
was  organized  by  sons  of  Jared  Whit- 
tlesey, Edgar  Atwater,  Ives  Martin, 
John  Butler  and  Horace  Austin,  of 
Whirl-wind  hill,  for  the  systematic 
planting  of  standard  trees  throughout 


the  village,  which  has  so  greatly  en- 
hanced its  present  beauty.  It  was  my 
privilege  to  be  an  active  member  of 
said  society,  and  assist,  during  school 
and  college  vacations. 

BUILDINGS     AND     ACCESSORIES. 

Time  will  not  permit  mention  in  de- 
tail of  all  houses  then  standing,  many 
of  which  have  disappeared  or  have 
been  remodeled. 

Between  the  Todd  house  and  Chris- 
tian street  were  those  of  Todd,  Parker, 
Hubbard,  Jones,  Parmelee,  Hough  and 
Culver. 

Between  Christian  and  Center 
streets  were  those  of  Peck,  -  Elijah 
Beaumont,  Dr.  Parker,  S.  Yale,  Adna 
Hall,  John  Hiddleston,  Hinsdale  Ives, 
the  Baptist  church,  Orrin  Andrews, 
Morse  (afterwards  the  Moses  Beach 
property),  Buel,  Friend  Cook,  after- 
wards Dr.  Harrison,  the  Episcopal 
church,  L.  Carrington's  widow  and 
store,  and  house  and  store  of  Jared 
Lewis,  and  on  the  opposite  corner  the 
store  and  house  of  Deacon  Aimer 
Hall. 

Southward  from  Center  street  were 
the  Congregational  church,  the  old 
tavern  opposite,  and  the  houses  of 
Whittelsey,  Congregational  parson- 
age, previously  owned  by  Merrick 
Cook,  Rev.  James  Noyes,  Mrs.  Bea- 
dles, Widow  Thompson,  Roxanna 
Hall.  Eli  Ives,  Carriage  Maker  Thomp- 
son, Augustus  Hall,  Mrs.  Doolittle. 
Randall  Cook,  afterwards  Beverly 
Hall,  Elizur  Hall.  Joseph  Hyatt  Hall 
and  Mrs.  Foote,  Pomeroy,  and  Rice 
Hall  at  the  foot  of  the  street. 

On  Center  street.  Deacon  Cannon, 
James  Carrington's  house  and  store. 
Masonic  hall  and  the  old  Washington 
tavern,  (Named  from  Washington's 
visit  at  Jeremiah  Carrington's  tavern, 
on  the  19th  of  October,  1789.  the 
eighth  anniversary  of  the  surrender  of 
Cornwallis.)  Going  eastward  from  Elm 
street  were  the  house  and  carriage 
shop  of  Chauncey  Munson,  and  the 
factories  of  Pomeroy,  Elihu  Hall  and 
Carrington. 

On  Christian  street  were  the  houses 
of  Judge  (Esquire)  Reynolds,  (re- 
, placed  by  one  of  the  "Choate  school 
buildings,  and  opposite,  the  double 
"gable-roof  once  that  of  Squire  Stan- 
ley,"  but  occupied     by  Rev.  William 


240 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Curtis,  rector  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
a  brother  of  Roderick  Curtis  Esq., 
and  at  present  by  the  Atwater  sisters 
and  Mrs.  Manning,  all  sisters,  and 
daughters  of  Edgar  Atwater,  de- 
ceased. 

The  old  family  mansion  of  Captain 
Atwater  on  the  northeast  corner,  now 
occupied  by  Judge  William  Choate, 
who  married  a  great-granddaughter 
of  the  original  owner,  retains  its  chief 
ancient  features,  the  immense  fire- 
place  included,   but  otherwise     modi- 


In  view  across  the  Atwater  brook 
were  the  houses  of  Hubbard  Jones~and 
John  Webber,  the  latter  long  since  de- 
stroyed. Adjoining  Mrs.  Gilbert's  on 
Elm  street  is  the  house  once  occupied 
by  Dr.  John  Andrews,  (who  married  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Atwater,)  but 
sold  the  same  to  Roderick  Curtis,  of 
New  York,  who  became  a  prominent 
man  in  church  and  all  other  town  in- 
terests, and  whose  surviving  daughter, 
Miss  F.   J.   Curtis,  occupies  it. 


ARMOUR  BUILDING,  SHOWINCi  DECORATIONS. 


fied  for  modern  convenience,  and  the 
old  Atwater  store,  dismantled  within 
my  memory,  but  adapted  for  dwelling 
purposes,  has  been  occupied  by  Dr. 
Huntington  Atwater,  who  is  associ- 
ated in  the  management  of  the  Choate 
school.  On  the  diagonal  corner  the 
residence  of  Captain  Atwater  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  then  occupied 
by  his  daughter  Mary,  widow  of  the 
Rev.  David  Lewis  Beebe,  is  still  occu- 
pied by  her  granddaughter,  the  widow 
of  Rev.  E.  R.  Gilbert. 


To  the  northward  on  Elm  street,  the 
house  of  John  Ives  has  been  pur- 
chased and  removed  by  Judge  Choate, 
but  the  Mix  house  and  one  other  still 
remain  substantially  as  of  old.  The 
remaining  houses  on  Elm  street  south- 
ward, of  old  time  recollection  as  far 
as  the  foot  of  Gravel  hill,  were  Mar- 
cus Iscariot  (torn  down  when  pur- 
chased by  Mr.  Curtis)  and  those  of 
Randall  Cook,  Jeremiah  Hall.  Medad 
Munson,  Sarah  Hall  and  Constant 
Kirtland. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


241 


CHURCHES. 

The  churches  were  three  in  num- 
ber, Congregational,  Episcopal  and 
Baptist,  each  of  which  occupied  the 
site  of  those  now  in  use. 

The  Congregational  edifice  preced- 
ing the  one  now  in  use  was  built  by 
James  Carrington  as  architect,  and  its 
successive  ministers  were  the  Rev. 
James  Noyes,  who  occupied  the  pulpit 
during  my  boyhood,  and  for  more  than 
forty  years;  followed  by  the  Rev.  Ed- 
win R.  Gilbert,  a  trustee  of  Yale  col- 
lege, who  also  occupied  the  pulpit  for 
more  than  forty  years. 

The  earlier  church  edifice  of  this  so- 
ciety, so-called  a  "Three  Decker" — af- 
ter the  "Man-of-war"  fashion,  because 
of  its  two  galleries — had  the  old-fash- 
ioned square  pews  of  early  times. 
When  the  second  church  was  torn 
down  for  the  erection  of  the  present 
edifice,  and  the  great  "rooster"  weath- 
er vane  was  removed,  it  was  found 
to  have  been  swiveled  up  in  a  rifle 
barrel,  which  the  architect,  my  grand- 
father, James  Carrington,  brought 
from  the  Whitneyville  Rifle  Works, 
where  he  was  superintendent,  and  as- 
sociated with  Eli  Whitney,  in  the 
manufacture  of  rifles  for  the  govern- 
ment. It  was  only  yesterday,  Mar- 
cus Cook,  surviving  son  of  Hiram 
Cook,  asked  me,  "what  has  become 
of  that  old  rifle  barrel"  and  reminded 
me  that  he  was  the  boy  who  climbed 
the  old  steeple,  fastened  a  rope 
around  the  spire,  sawed  the  vertical 
timbers  as  he  descended  to  boss  the 
big  pull,  that  brought  the  spire  to 
the  srronnd. 

The  Episcopal  church  preceding  the 
handsome  stone  edifice  was  a  frame 
structure,  and  burned  in  1SG7.  The 
previous  edifice  was  a  square  building 
without  a  steeple,  with  entrances  from 
three  sides,  and  old-fashionerl  square 
pews.  A  pulpit  was  ascended  on 
each  side  by  a  spiral  stair-case,  and 
hooded  over  with  an  umbrella-like 
canopy  called  the  "sounding  board." 
During  Christmas  week  it  was  elabor- 
ately decorated  with  all  manner  of 
evergreen  adornment,  and  its  history 
has  just  been  given  upon  this  plat- 
form, by  the  Rev.   Mr.   Wildman. 

Close  by  the  old  Congregational  and 
Episcopal  churches  were  horse-sheds 
and  small  houses,  called  "Sabaday"  or 

16 


Sabbath  houses  to  shelter  teams  that 
came  in  from  the  various  farms,  and 
to  furnish  fire  conveniences  to  the 
church  attendants  for  filling  their 
foot-stoves  with  live  coals,  and  brew- 
ing tea  which  they  brought  for  their 
luncheon  at  the  noon  recess,  between 
morning  and  afternoon  service. 

The  Baptist  church  preceding  the 
present  edifice,  was  a  plain  structure 
without  a  steeple.  Its  minister,  at 
my  earliest  recollection,  was  Rev.  Mr. 
Hawley.  the  father  of  Gen.  Hawley, 
then  a  student  at  the  academy,  as  pre- 
viously noticed.  A  previous  church, 
the  ruins  of  which  I  remember,  was 
located  on  the  corner  of  the  lot  at 
present  occupied  by  the  Wallingford 
High  school,  and  was  known  historic- 
ally as  the  Wells  church  with  rather 
indefinite  authority. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  schools  of  Wallingford  were 
specified  by  districts.  Those  of  the 
village  were  called  the  North  and 
South  districts,  the  others,  the  "North 
Farm,"  "East  Farm"  and  "West  Farm" 
districts. 

The  North  district  school  was  just 
above  the  old  Aaron  Andrews  home- 
stead, afterwards  occupied  by  Sheriff 
Leander  Parmelee,  whose  house  was 
destroyed  by  the  Wallingford  tornado 
in  1878. 

The  South  district  school  was  just 
south  of  the  Van  Cleve  house  on  the 
west  side  of  South  Main  street,  in 
which  house  I  was  bom  in  1824.  This 
was  occupied  for  many  years  by  Ran- 
dall Cook,  a  leading  Democrat,  who 
then  lived  at  the  old  house  recently 
occupied    by    Beverly    Hall,    deceased. 

At  one  time  in  the  "Lower"  school 
house  a  writing  school  was  conducted; 
otherwise  only  the  common  English 
branches  were  taught  in  these  schools. 

The  Wallingford  Academy,  so-called, 
occupied  the  only  building  upon  a  short 
street  (called  Academy  lane)  connect- 
ing Main  and  Elm  streets  (then  called 
Upper  and  Lower  streets).  This  ac- 
ademy taught  the  higher  branches, 
preparatory  for  entrance  to  college, 
but  its  support  failed,  and  the  site  was 
occupied  afterwards  by  the  Dutton 
family.  The  last  surviving  pupil  of 
this  academy  was  General  and  United 
States  Senator  Joseph  R.  Hawley,  late- 
ly deceased.     At  the  foot  of  the  slope 


242 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


toward  Elm  street  was  a  large  barn 
owned  by  Jeremiah  Hall.  This  barn 
was  one  of  the  wonders  of  Walling- 
ford.  Conversation,  shouts,  song  and 
whistling  echoed  with  intense  distinct- 
ness by  night  or  day,  to  the  intense 
amusement  and  enjoyment  of  the  hap- 
py performers.  The  unsightly  barn 
has  disappeared,  but  some  of  the  echoes 
still  live  in  fancy's  ear. 

In  contrast  with  the  failure  of  the 
academy  as  a  school  for  young  men,  a 
young  ladies'  school  was  maintained 
for  years  with  rare  success  and  ex- 
cellence by  Miss  Sarah  P.  Carrington 
(recently  deceased,  past  ninety  years 
of  age), "the  grand-daughter  of  Captain 
Jeremiah   Carrington. 

Her  grace,  refinement  and  culture 
were  honored  by  the  public  as  much 
as  she  was  endeared  to  all  under  her 
charge;  and  her  efficiency  in  church 
work  was  as  effective  and  deserving  of 
tribute  as  were  other  excellencies  of 
her  noble  character. 

She  was  the  daughter  of  my  great 
uncle,  Dr.  Liverius  Carrington,  and 
had  preserved  with  great  care  and 
pride,  for  more  than  two  generations, 
an  old  yellow  paper,  upon  which  was 
the  following  memorandum:  "When 
General  Washington  left  the  town 
for  Middletown,  and  grandmother  ex- 
pressed her  regret  that  she  had  not 
longer  time  to  prepare  for  his  visit, 
he  kindly  answered,  'my  entertain- 
ment has  been  more  than  I  could  ex- 
pect, but  madam,  your  gracious  man- 
ner would  make  any  entertainment 
most  delightful.'  " 

Of  my  own  early  school  days,  I 
remember  little  more  than  benches 
without  backs,  playing  soldier,  nut- 
ting, fishing,  a  passion  for  drawing, 
some  knack  in  kniving  wood  into  odd 
shapes,  and  keeping  a  crude  diary. 
Its  chief  event  took  record  in  1835, 
when  a  pupil  at  the  Manual  Labor 
Boarding  school  of  Rev.  Goodman 
and  Dr.  Hudson,  of  Torrinsford,  Conn, 
(noted  abolitionists)  where  Rev. 
Horace  Day,  late  of  New  Haven,  de- 
ceased, was  my  first  teacher  of  Latin 
and   Greek. 

I  still  have  the  names  of  all  the 
pupils,  long  since  deceased,  but  a 
single  event,  as  recorded  by  Mr.  Day 
gave  tone  to  my  political  convic- 
tions, that  never  abates.     This  school 


was  visited  one  day  by  an  abolition- 
ist from  the  adjoining  town  of  New 
Hartford  by  the  name  of  John  Brown, 
who  talked  upon  the  African  slave 
trade  and  its  horrors  with  such  force 
as  to  exact  from  some  of  the  boys  a 
pledge  ever  after  to  hate  slavery. 
His  "soul  is  marching  on!" 

Later  study  at  the  Hart  and  Por- 
ter Boarding  school,  at  Farmington, 
Conn.,  introduced  my  college  course, 
with  intermediate  vacations,  at  my 
old  home,  but  all  the  adult  or  com- 
panion contemporaries,  many  of  them 
but  vaguely  remembered,  have  passed 
away. 

HOUSES    AND    FURNISHINGS. 

With  the  exception  of  two  large 
gamble-roofed  houses,  such  as  are  still 
numerous  in  Old  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
of  which  the  old  Noyes  house  is  an 
example,  though  modified  in  front,  and 
four  single  story  houses  of  the  same 
general  type  still  standing;  all  the 
large  family  houses  in  town  and  on 
the  farms  were  of  the  same  general 
pattern.  They  were  of  two  stories, 
with  a  high  roof  falling  back  at  the 
rear  to  a  single  story  and  the  connect- 
ing kitchen,  each  one  able  to  accom- 
modate a  large  family  with  trundle 
bed  accessories  for  the  little  folks. 

From  a  central  hall,  just  large 
enough  for  a  small  table  and  a  wind- 
ing stairway  to  the  upper  story,  there 
were  left  a  parlor  on  the  right  of  the 
hall,  a  family  bed  room  on  the  left,  and 
in  their  rear  a  large  "keeping  room" 
for  the  family,  with  a  small  bed  room 
at  each  end  for  old  folks,  or  young 
children.  All  the  larger  rooms  ^vere 
wainscotted  and  paneled  in  wood,  often 
quite       elaborately.  Corresponding 

rooms  were  above;  while  the  attic  had 
its  depository  for  tow  and  flax  for  do- 
mestic manufacturing,  a  spinning 
wheel,  reel,  quilting  frames,  and  a 
loom,  if  it  were  not  in  a  piaz7.a  or 
shed  connected  with  the  wood-house 
at  the  rear  or  side  of  the  kitchen. 

A  great  oven  that  would  bake  pies, 
cake  or  bread  by  dozens  at  a  time,  and 
a  fireplace  that  would  take  in  a  back- 
log of  four  feet  and  other  wood  to 
match,  were  essentials  to  every  house. 
The  andirons,  shovel  and  tong~.  the 
bellows  and  a  hinged  box  for  kindlings 
and  wood  were  always  in  place,  and 
on  the  high  mantel  over  each  smaller 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


243 


fireplace,  there  rested  the  dipjjeil  tal- 
low candle,  with  snuffers,  flint  and 
tinder,  ready  for  use. 

A  spare  chamber  for  guests  had  its 
high  post  mahogany  bedstead,  with 
valences  or  curtains  of  domestic  make 
to  cover  the  trundle  bed  when  it  was 
hid  from  sight.  For  winter's  pro- 
tection against  extreme  cold  a  "down 
comfort"  was  supplemented  by  a  long 
handled  copper  warming  pan,  to  be 
filled  with  coals  and  put  to  a  half 
scorching  use  between  the  sheets  be- 
fore rest  was  sought  at  night. 

The  invariable  well  with  its  old- 
fashioned  sweep,  was  everywhere  con- 
spicuous and  a  three-forked  hook  was 
near  at  hand  with  which  to  fish  for 
the  bucket  when  it  broke  loose  and 
went  to  the  bottom.  The  well,  itself, 
was  the  family  refrigerator,  and,  when 
no  spring  house  was  near,  the  butter, 
cream  and  fresh  meat,  suspended  by  a 
piece  of  bed-cord  or  clothes  line,  let 
the  precious  objects  of  care  down  to 
the  water's  surface  for  their  preserva- 
tion and  safety. 

"Quilting  bees"  were  common,  and 
the  domestic  manufacture  of  carpets 
and  of  lace,  as  well  as  embroidery, 
were  trophies  of  domestic  skill  that 
rivaled  in  beauty  and  durability  the 
more  costly  products  of  foreign  loom 
or  manufacture. 

Of  these  domestic  manufactures 
too  much  cannot  be  said. 

Indeed,  both  gentlemen  and  ladies 
were  adepts  in  the  preservation  and 
renewal  of  the  best  styles  of  colonial 
personal  adornment,  and  on  gala 
days  or  night  assemblies,  the  lace 
caps,  collars  and  cuffs  which  adorned 
the  fair  sex,  were  rivalled  in  conspic- 
uous smartness  and  good  taste  by  the 
silver  knee  and  shoe  buckles  of  their 
gallants,  of  all  ages,  who  were  as 
courtly  on  such  occasions  as  they 
were  systematically  industrious,  fru- 
gal and  yet  prosperous,  in  farming 
and  manufacture.  The  high  heels  of 
the  white  satin  shoes  of  the  ladies 
were  as  striking  as  the  top  boots  of 
the  gentlemen,  and  even  the  night- 
caps imitated  in  a  small  measure  the 
bountiful  lace  adornment  of  such 
dress-caps  as  were  worn  at  all  high 
social  entertainments. 

Two  specialties  of  head-covering 
are  not  to  be  ignored,  because  simple 
and  useful,  and   as   cunning     as  they 


were  simple  and  useful.  The  girls, 
spinsters  included,  had  their  peek-a- 
boo  "sunbonnets"  with  long  neck- 
protecting  capes,  and  an  extension 
frontward,  in  a  little  stovepipe  gal- 
lery, where  they  could  whisper,  re- 
gardless of  sex,  and  not  disclose  to 
the  outsider  whether  their  lips  ac- 
tually touched  during  the  confiden- 
tial interview.  Another  apology  for 
a  "bonnet"  folded  backwards  like  a 
carriage-top,  at  a  quick  toss  of  the 
fingers  backward,  appropriately  called 
the  "Calach"  and  by  a  handy  tape  in 
front  could  be  quickly  brought  for- 
ward to  screen  the  observer,  or  the 
observed,  as  it's  owner  (perhaps  I 
should  say,  it's  occupant)  wished  to 
be   recognized   or  not. 

None  of  these  adornments,  how- 
ever, were  more  becoming  or  enjoy- 
able, than  the  Linsej'-Woolsey  skirts, 
linen  aprons  and  pretty  kerchiefs 
when  worn  in  the  kitchen's  sphere 
of  duty. 

The  churn  and  cheese  press  were  the 
concomitants  of  every  well  furnished 
kitchen  or  pantry,  and  about  the  back 
door  as  well  as  in  the  spacious  barn- 
yard near  by,  turkeys,  geese,  chickens, 
ducks,  pea-hens  and  rabbits  enjoyed 
life  at  the  will  of  their  mistress. 

FARMING     AND     ITS     ACCESSORIES. 

Wallingford  farmers  generally  were 
of  a  high  order  of  intellectual  and  so- 
cial merit,  as  well  as  loyal  to  church 
opportunity  and  influence. 

Their  barns  were  spacious  buildings 
of  two  stories,  with  a  large  entrance 
that  would  admit  hay-loads  of  more 
than  a  ton;  with  storage  mows  reach- 
ing to  the  roof;  with  the  lower  story 
on  one  or  both  sides  arranged  for 
stock,  bins  for  grain,  and  cupboards 
for  harness,  yokes  and  all  manner  of 
farming  utensils.  Water  was  always 
at  hand;  stock  was  cared  for  with  pa- 
tient and  unremitting  labor,  largely 
raising  their  own.  though  quick  to  im- 
prove its  brood  from  better. 

Their  labor  was  so  well  systemat- 
ized that  it  was  no  loss  of  time  but 
stimulus  to  a  fresh  week  of  industry, 
to  take  their  families  in  their  com- 
fortable wagons  or  carriage'?  and  at- 
tend church  regularly  on  the  Sabbath. 
This  brought  them  to  the  post-office, 
and  many  social  reunions  with  friends 
in  the  village. 


244 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


Horses  were  not  used  for  heavy 
draught,  but  oxen  only,  which  were 
kept  in  prime  condition,  and  competi- 
tive tests  for  proffered  prizes  were  an- 
ticipated with  great  pride  and  am- 
bition as  to  the  result. 

Their  relations  with  each  other 
were  fraternal  and  cordial.  If  a  new 
barn  or  house  were  to  be  raised  or 
moved,  it  was  not  unusual  to  find 
enough  volunteers  to  put  up  a  large 
frame  in  one,  or  at  most  three  days, 
ready  for  the  roof,     and,     in     moving 


machinery  of  churn  and  cheese-press, 
as  well  as  of  wash-board,  were  admir- 
ably adjusted  for  the  best  results;  and 
while  the  men  were  marketing  their 
farm  produce,  the  butter,  eggs,  cheese 
and  poultry  of  the  mother's  care  al- 
ways commanded  the  highest  market 
price. 

It  was  really  a  day  of  recreation  as 
well  as  of  fatigue  when  the  weekly  or 
monthly  ride  to  the  New  Haven  mar- 
ket gave  the  opportunity  not  only  to 
trade,  bu  t  to  visit  the  capitol    of  the 


AIORSE  &  NORTON'S  BLOCK. 


days,  it  was  not  rare  to  find  two 
"strings"  of  teams  of  twenty  and  even 
forty  yoke  at  hand  for  the  purpose. 
The  boss  was  master  of  his  business, 
and  the  men  were  so  distributed  that 
not  a  roller  lost  its  place.  The  first 
start  was  attended  by  shouts  to  teams, 
and  the  swing  of  the  long  whips  was 
effected  with  as  much  precision  as  that 
of  a  light  battery  in  motion. 

Thanks  to  their  superior  women  and 
bright  girls  of  their  own  blood,  all  the 
details  of  kitchen  and  pantry  and  the 


state.  The  turkeys,  eggs,  chickens, 
guinea-pigs  and  ducks  were  fheir 
special  charge,  and  not  unseldom  the 
pea-cock  proudly  strutted  about  the 
poultry  yard,  as  highly  prized  as  a 
choice  new  rose  would  be  by  the  girls 
who  cared  for  the  garden.  The  cider 
mill  and  the  cider  cheese  press  were 
indispensable  adjuncts  to  every  farm 
house. 

WALLINGFOKD    AS     IT    WAS. 

The  farm   products  were  generally 
hay,    rye,    oats,    buckwheat,    turnips, 


CEXTEXNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


245 


potatoes,  carrots,  squash,  artichokes, 
corn  and  pumpkins. 

Soon  after  the  corn  was  dry  in 
the  shacks  there  followed  night  en- 
tertainments when  the  young  men 
and  maidens  had  their  "husking 
bees"  By  the  slim  blazing  of  dipped 
candles,  safely  placed  In  a  large  ap- 
ple or  turnip,  and  to  be  snuffed  with 
the  fingers,  there  began  the  jolly 
sport  of  eager  watching  for  the  red 
ears.  Then  amid  laughter  and  no 
little  blushing,  the  standard  prize 
or  penalty  that  fell  to  the  possessor 
evolved  shouts  of  applause  or  deris- 
ion and  suspicious  guesses  as  to  the 
future  lot  of  both  young  man  and 
maiden  who  took  a  prize  or  suffered 
the  penalty. 

Of  course  every  farm  whether  at- 
tached to  the  village  or  elsewhere 
had  its  apple,  pear,  and  peach  or-, 
chards,  as  well  as  its  quince  and  ap- 
ricot, hop  vines  and  asparagus  beds. 
Smaller  fruits,  as  well  as  vegetables 
and  flowers,  belonged  to  the  "family 
garden"  and  were  especially  under 
the  mother's  care. 

POWER,    FACTORIES,    INVENTION. 

Wallingford  center  was  so  remote 
from  the  river  where  Huminston  had 
built  his  successful  mill,  that  nearer 
avenues  of  waterpower  became  a  mat- 
ter of  necessity  as  well  as  of  economy. 
Just  over  the  hill,  eastward  on  Chris- 
tian street,  there  was  a  valley  and 
quite  a  powerful  stream  (known  as 
George  Cook's  brook).  At  its  cross- 
ing the  road  to  Durham,  a  dam  was 
built  by  Leander  Parmelee,  where  he 
erected  a  small  factory.  This  stream 
continued  through  the  same  valley, 
southward,  and  made  a  turn  west- 
ward just  as  it  reached  the  extension 
of  Center  street  to  the  east.  At  this 
point  James  Carrington  erected  a 
lieavy  dam  and  built  a  factory.  The 
"escape  water"  from  this  dam  form- 
ed the  Munson  brook,  which  at  Cen- 
ter street  was  joined  by  the  Atwater 
brook,   before  noticed. 

To  substitute  mechanical  means  in 
the  place  of  the  old  mortar  and  pestle 
for  family  use  in  grinding  coffee  and 
spices,  Mr.  Carrington  invented  and 
for  a  long  time  manufactured  under 
his  patent  the  first  hand  coffee  and 
spice  mill   ever  fabricated. 

From  the  waste  water  from  this 
dam,  the  Pomeroy  brothers  manufac- 


tured buttons,  razor-straps,  gimblets 
and  other  useful  articles,  and  Elihu 
Hall  erected  a  factory  for  Japanned 
ware,  wooden  bowls  and  wagon- 
fittings. 

Mr.  Carrington  also  rented  the 
Parmelee  factory,  before  noticed, 
where  he  manufactured  from  ma- 
hogany the  first  parallel  "rulers"  ev- 
er invented- 

On  the  North  Farms  at  the  orig- 
inal source  of  the  water  supply,  that 
successively  filled  the  Parmelee  and 
Carrington  ponds,  Mr.  William  Hill 
also  erected  a  dam  and  factory  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  Among  his 
specialties  were  boxwood  combs,  both 
single  and  folding  combs.  Harvey  S. 
Hall  made  wagon-poles,  whipple-trees, 
etc.  The  Wallaces,  since  becoming 
famous  in  their  silver  manufacture, 
on  the  Quinnipiac  river,  made  begin- 
nings with  metallic  spoons  of  Germs  n 
silver,  in  1835. 

Friction  matches  were  also  made 
on  the  North  Farms,  variously  known 
among  us  either  as  "brimstone 
matches"  or  "Lucifer  matches." 
Nathan  Fenn,  a  specialist,  commend- 
ed his  original  packages  by  this 
brilliant  effusion.  "Nathan  Fenn's 
matches  are  all  very  good.  They  are 
made  of  brimstone,  phosporous  and 
wood."  It  cannot  be  questioned  that 
more  light  has  been  struck  through 
this  Wallingford  invention  than  from 
any  other  sources,  except  those  that 
are  either  solar  or  through  electric- 
it.v. 

At  the  head  of  the  Atwater  brook, 
just  beyond  the  old  Ives  house,  north 
of  Christian  street,  the  same  Par- 
melee built  a  dam  and  a  factory  to  be 
rented  for  various  uses.  Not  long 
after  this,  Edgar  Atwater  erected  a 
dam  and  factory  two  miles  below 
the  Humminston  mill  on  the  Quinni- 
piac river.  This  mill  was  at  the  head 
of  tidewater,  and  a  long  time  ago 
small  sloops  and  schooners  were  built 
there  and  floated  to  Fair  Haven  for 
complete  equipment.  Such,  at  least, 
is  matter  of  tradition,  not  of  individ- 
ual recollection. 

These  business  ventures  gave  em- 
ployment to  many  young  men  and  af- 
forded to  Wallingford  a  valuable  ex- 
port trade  and  laid  the  foundation 
for  other  developments,  which  in  the 


246 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


case  of  the  Carrington  pond,  finally 
resulted  in  the  immense  establish- 
ment of  silverware  of  Simpson  & 
Company,  with  a  market  world-wide 
of  its  enduring  success.  The  Wallaces 
also  after  the  introduction  of  steam, 
engaged  in  the  silverware  business 
near  the  river,  and  the  present  ex- 
tensive establishments  erected  on  the 
old  "Plains"  testify  to  the  wisdom 
and  sagacity  of  those  who  substitut- 
ed manufacture  for  worn-out  farming 
in  good  old  Wallingford. 

WALLINGFORD     INDEPENDENT. 

A  crowning  element  of  the  stabil- 
ity and  growth  of  Wallingford  was 
its  practical  independence  of  the  out- 
side world  for  its  own  mechanical 
necessities.  The  stores  of  Carrington 
&  Kirtland,  Jared  Lewis,  Aimer  Hall, 
and  Captain  Atwater,  were  first-class 
for  the  period,  and  dl'y  goods  hard- 
ware, groceries,  farm  and  garden  im- 
plements as  well  as  cheap  candies, 
cocoanuts  and  peanuts  were  always 
kept  in  good  supply.  Drugs  of  all 
kinds,  fluid,  solid,  or  dried  herbs  and 
pills  together  with  ball  liquorice  and 
stick  liquorice  and  a  few  candies  were 
kept  by  Dr.  Parker.  Dr.  Friend 
Cook  and  Dr.  Harrison,  his  successor, 
at  their  home  offices- 

The  Atwater  store  which  was  dis- 
mantled within  my  recollection  and 
converted  into  a  residence  for  his  son 
John,  who  succeeded  to  the  practical 
management  of  his  large  farm,  was 
peculiar  in  its  supplies.  It  was  close 
by  the  homestead  at  the  corner  of 
Christian  and  Elm  streets.  A  busi- 
ness with  the  West  Indies  and  with 
Mediterranean  ports  demanded  the 
erection  of  a  large  barn  near  by, 
called  the  "Potash"  and  potash,  salt- 
peter, charcoal,  lime  and  similar  pro- 
ducts were  its  sole  deposits. 

From  these  the  materials  for  pow- 
der were  procured  for  Washington's 
army  while  at  Newport,  and  the  store 
itself  had  a  large  trade  with  Durham 
and  other  towns  east  and  northeast 
of  Wallingford. 

Three  large  wagon,  cart  and  car- 
riage shops,  that  were  really  factories, 
viz.,  those  of  Munson,  Beadles  and 
Thompson,  so  thoroughly  made,  paint- 
ed and  finished  their  products,  that 
their  owners  commanded  markets  be- 
yond  tht  town     limits.     For     leather- 


belting,  or  shoe  fittings  required  by 
its  shoemakers  or  ordinary  cobblers, 
there  was  little  need  to  go  even  to 
New  Haven,  except  for  Morocco  and 
some  fancy  leather.  The  tannery  of 
Medad  Munson  was  on  a  large  scale, 
and  also  commanded  other  than  home 
patronage.  The  Ward  brothers  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Main  street 
and  Gravel  Hill,  were  not  only  hatters 
and  carpet  weavers,  but  manufactur- 
ers of  pewter  coffee  and  teapots,  and 
for  want  of  water  power,  used  what 
was  called  sweep-power.  The  track 
upon  which  the  horse  in  his  circuit 
developed  this  power  soon  went  to 
grass,  spoiling  the  fun  of  rude  boys, 
who  used  birch  stimulants  when  the 
old   horse   became   too   lazy. 

The  autumn  hog  and  beef  kill- 
ing not  only  supplied  the  farmers'  cel- 
lars with  its  beef  and  hams  fresh  from 
the  smoke  house,  but  a  surplus  for 
others  who  did  not  kill  stock  of  their 
own,  so  that  it  was  a  long  time  before 
Jeremiah  Hall  set  in  motion  his 
butchering  and  meat  deliveries  that 
finally  made  a  meat  market  a  neces- 
sity in  the  town. 

Most  families  kept  pigs,  which  fed 
from  troughs  of  their  own,  and  the 
dipping  of  tallow  canales  was  as 
common  in  the  homes  as  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  sausage  for  the  winter  s 
use. 

At  the  spring  "shad  haul"  on  the 
Connecticut,  a  supply  was  procured 
to  be  salted  for  winter's  use,  and  great 
bins  of  potatoes  in  everybody's  cel- 
lar together  with  other  garden  vege- 
tables, carefully  cultivated  in  garden 
patches,  were  adequate  for  almost 
town    necessities. 

For  everything  raised  beyond  the 
town  needs.  New  Haven  was  a  ready 
market,  and  for  a  series  of  years  the 
poor  house  of  Wallingford,  was  peo- 
pled by  few  who  needed  its  assistance 
or  self-support. 

BOOKS     AND     EDUCATIONAL     CULTURE. 

I  would,  indeed,  be  wanting  in  ap- 
preciation of  "Wallingford  as  it 
was"  and  has  been,  if  I  failed  to  make 
mention  of  the  fact  that  her  close  re- 
lation to  New  Haven,  as  well  as  to 
Hartford    and    Middletown,    made    for 


CENTENNIAL  OF  AIERIDEN. 


247 


the  families  of  the  Congregational, 
Episcopal  and  Baptist  churches  wel- 
come resorts  for  the  education  of  her 
youth,  which  abundantly  supplied  the 
place,  and  made  unnecessary  the 
academy  once  started  in  their  midst. 
The  preparatory  schools  for  higher 
education  at  the  colleges  of  the  re- 
spective denominations  at  those 
places,  and  the  Episcopal  school  at 
Cheshire,  were  of  easy  and  frequent 
access,  and  Yale  college  not  only  was 
represented  at  Wallingford  for  more 
than  a  century  by  a  member  of  her 
board  of  trustees  (called  fellows),  but 
Wallingford  young  men,  even  within 
my  memory  took  the  valedictory  at 
Yale,  as  well  as  one  at  Princeton, 
and  several  of  her  sons  became  most 
distinguished  lawyers,  judges,  bank- 
ers and  educators  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies. 

By  the  side  of  the  fireplace  In  near- 
ly every  homestead  was  a  book  cup- 
board. Standard  commentaries  upon 
the  Bible,  suited  to  each  church  con- 
nection were  there.  The  "Pilgrims' 
Progress"  and  standard  works  of  all 
kinds  with  a  good  English  dictionary 
were  there.  Of  clean  fiction  the 
"Scottish  Chiefs"  and  "Thaddeus  of 
Warsaw"  were  favorites,  as  well  as 
Scott's  work  when  they  appeared. 
Robinson  Crusoe  and  the  Arabian 
Knights  and  "Mother  Goose"  and 
other  literature  were  mere,  all  of 
which  was  in  good  English  vernacu- 
lary,  fitted  to  teach  the  language  and 
stimulate  thought.  And  not  least  of 
all,  as  an  auxiliary  was  the  fact  that 
"hired  man"  or  "family  help,"  when 
needed  in  the  kitchen,  could  read  the 
English  language  an«  speak  it  cor- 
rectly. 

Debating  societies  were  estab- 
lished early,  and  the  oratory  of  the 
revolutionary  period  was  declaimed, 
from  memory,  even  in  the  district 
schools  throughout  the  town. 

Great  orators  were  glad  to  address 
the  people  of  Wallingford,  and  more 
than  one  barbecue,  where  a  whole  ox 
was  roasted  on  the  side  hill  just  west 
of  Carrington's  pond  gave  character 
to  the  town,  and  vindicated  the  stand- 
ing of  its  people  before  the  outside 
world. 


C^HURCH    SOCIALS^    MINISTERIAL    FAVORS. 

Annually  after  the  farmers  had 
gathered  their  crops,  and  the  fall 
sowing  was  over,  upon  a  day  desig- 
nated, hickory  wood  and  oak,  as  well 
as  chestnut,  and  ash  for  lighter  fuel, 
were  delivered  at  the  minister's  barn 
or  yard  for  his  winter's  supply. 

Brief  beef,  hams,  sausage-meat, 
corned  beef,  potatoes  and  other  veg- 
etables were  soon  added.  This  was 
succeeded  a  little  later  oy  a  donation 
party,  when  an  abundance  of  choice 
cake  was  provided,  ana  tne  presenta- 
tion of  a  purse  of  money  closed  the 
evening's  entertainment.  A  minis- 
ter's salary  was  then  $400. 

The  fact  must  not  be  omitted  that 
in  those  early  times  the  clergy  of  all 
denominations  when  met  upon  the 
street  were  treated  with  marked  re- 
spect. 

Sewing  circles  were  frequent  tak- 
ing turns  at  family  homes  (farmers 
included)  where  sewing,  knitting, 
quilting  and  other  needle-work  busily 
employed  the  afternoon,  while  the 
evening  was  given 'to  the  young  peo- 
ple for  light  games,  such  as  "blind 
man's  buff,"  "puss  in  the  corner," 
"who's  got  the  handkerchief?"  and 
similar  innocent  amusements. 

MUSIC  AND   ITS   INCIDENTS. 

Church  music  was  a  great  specialty. 
The  Congregational  church  uniformly 
had  its  Saturday  evening  singing 
school,  but  under  such  strict  and  un- 
welcome condition  that  however  new 
bright,  jubilant,  or  excellent,  the  lat- 
est selection  upon  which  the  attend- 
ants were  drilled  it  could  never  be 
sung  by  word  until  perfectly  mastered 
by  note.  The  introduction  even  of  a 
"fiddle"  from  New  Haven  on  one  oc- 
casion was  regarded  as  of  question- 
able propriety,  and  James  Carring- 
ton,  who  led  the  choir,  habitually 
used  a  "wooden  pitch-pipe"  (some- 
thing like  a  small  trombone)  most 
solemnly  to  lead  the  choir  in  a  sim- 
ultaneous rendering  of  the  key-note 
before  he  motioned  a  full  voiced  con- 
quest of  the  hymn  at  stake. 

The  Episcopal  music  was  always 
fine;  but  not  as  varied,  being  mostly 
from  the  standard  music  of  the 
church.      Some   times   an   "Old    Folks' 


248 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEX, 


Concert"  would  electrify  the  hearers 
in  the  production  of  tunes  as  old  as 
those  ancestral  hymns  that  were  so 
pre-eminently  "Fuge-tunes"  and 
swelled  as  loud  in  the  "chorus  of 
one"  as  "Loud  as  thunders  roar." 

Social  music  and  social  musical  en- 
tertainments were  not  unusual,  and 
here  and  there  were  instruments  of 
uncertain  age  that  precursors  of  the 
piano-forte,  which  soon  became  a 
common  instrument,  in  families  seek- 
ing musical  culture.  I  remember  the 
first  guitar  and  its  auspicious  advent. 

We  boys  imitated  our  elders  in  the 
use  of  wind  instruments,  by  use  of 
the  "harmonican-slide,"  the  tingling 
Jews  harp  or  the  vocalized  hair  comb; 
elder  flageolets,  broom-corn  fiddles, 
triangles  and  sorted  pin-horns,  with 
or  without  finger  holes,  developed 
mixed  numbers  in  music,  revelant  in 
tone,  scale,  and  sensation,  no  mat- 
ter how  censurable  in  matters  of  har- 
mony. 

ENLARGED     SCOPE     OF     CHURCH     WORK. 

The  first  Sunday  school  was  es- 
tablished 1819  by»  Mrs.  Mary  Beebee, 
wife  of  Rev.  David  Lewis  Beebee,  and 
her  daughters,  Mary  and  Cornelia. 
There  were  at  that  time  no  "question 
books"  and  the  chief  exercise  was 
the  recital  of  Scripture  passages,  from 
memory,  with  a  Bible  as  a  prize  for 
excellence.  On  one  occasion  when 
great  rivalry  ensued,  John  W.  An- 
drews, already  referred  to,  won  the 
prize  by  repeating  without  error  the 
119th  Psalm,  as  his  voluntary  exer- 
cise. The  same  ladies  made  a  house- 
to-house  distribution  of  the  American 
Tract  society  leaflets  when  they  first 
appeared  and  for  several  succeeding 
years  thereafter. 

The  mother  so  enlarged  her  inter- 
est in  missions  that  she  afterwards 
made  her  only  grandson  an  honorary 
life  member  of  the  American  Board 
cf  Foreign  Mission  society,  and  her 
only  granddaughter  a  life  member  of 
the  Connecticut  Bible  and  the  Con- 
necticut Tract  society. 

These  items  have  local  historic  in- 
terest, and  it  is  not  irrevelant  to 
mention  that  the  present  owner  of 
the  American  Board  Certificate, 
dated  in  1830,  while  a  schoolboy,  at 
Torringford,  Conn.,  occupied  a  bed- 
'Chamber     in     the     house     previously 


owned  and  occupied  by  Rev.  Samuel 
J.  Mills,  practically  the  founder  of 
said  society,  and  that  the  Rev.  Cor- 
nelius H.  Patton,  son  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  William  Patton,  who  also  was  a 
pupil  at  the  same  school  in  1835-6,  is 
now  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
same  American  board  at  Boston. 

All  the  religious  societies  had  their 
benevolent  associations,  although  the 
Congregational  church  was  more  de- 
monstrative in  periodical  "revival" 
seasons.  I  distinctly  remember  the 
visit  of  Rev.  Mr.  Finney,  afterwards 
so  celebrated  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  as 
founder  of  "Oberlin"  college,  whose 
vital  theme  was  "Perfectionism"  and 
that  Henry  Allen,  who  lived  on  the 
turnpike,  west  of  the  river,  was  long 
its  ardent  supporter. 

A  Mr.  Coan,  also  large  of  form, 
large  in  vocal  capacity,  and  large  in 
reforming  methods,  lived  just  back 
of  Long  Hill,  but  signally  failed  large- 
ly to  control  the  religious  tempera- 
ments of  the  people. 

Temperance  also  had  its  first  advo- 
cate, when,  as  I  remember  well.  En- 
sign Foote,  of  the  navy  (afterwards 
Admiral  Foote)  from  Cheshire,  ap- 
peared in  full  uniform  and  appealed 
to  the  children  to  sign  pledges  which 
he  brought  with  him  for  their  signa- 
ture. For  tables  to  write  upon  they 
used  the  seats  of  the  church  pews, 
after  his  address. 

The  town  also  had  an  amateur 
band  with  not  only  brass  but  reed 
instruments;  and  its  last  survivor, 
who  as  long  ago  as  1830  played  the 
first  clarionet,  was  Elihu  Hall. 

G.\RDENS     AND     FLOWERS. 

Whether  in  town  or  on  the  farms, 
gardens  with  their  straight  walks 
and  grape  arbors,  the  walks,  often 
lined  with  box,  exhibited  every  known 
variety  of  annual  flowers.  The  holly- 
hock and  sun-flower  were  the  most 
majestic  and  the  bergamont  and  myr- 
tle were  the  most  humble,  but  the 
sweetpea,  the  lily  of  the  valley,  the 
sweet  William,  peony,  phlox,  pansy, 
marigolds,  poppies,  china  asters  and 
kindred  annuals  vied  with  many  varie- 
ties of  roses  and  climl)ing  vines  to 
surpass  each  other  and  make  odor, 
beauty  and  grace  their  welcome  con- 
tributions    to  the  taste  and  happiness 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


249 


of  the  home.  The  wormwood,  for  a 
wholesome  stomachic  before  break- 
fast was  never  missing  and  the  red 
pepper  and  mustard  were  cultivated 
for  family  ailments.  The  coriander, 
caraway  and  dill,  were  hardly  inferior 
to  the  ever-present  "fennel"  which 
had  its  special  church  privileges  and 
duties  when  a  protracted  sermon 
called  for  some  quickening  tonic.  The 
ai'omatic  smellage,  as  "well  as  the 
horehound,  spearmint,  peppermint, 
bloodroot  and  saffron,  were  garnered 
for  winter's  service  and  the  aspiring 
hop  out-topped  the  tallest  beans  on 
their  special  poles,  or  climbed  against 
the  barn  with  ample  capacity  to  en- 
sure family  yeast  in  abundance,  or 
discount  the  sassafras  in  home-made 
beer. 

Tansy  cultivated  itself  and  catnip 
was  its  partner,  trying  to  run  out 
everything  else,  but  never  despised 
when  their  medical  virtues  were  test- 
ed in  ways  beneficial  or  peculiar. 
The  tansy,  wormwood  and  pepper- 
mint were  often  allied  with  fluid  ex- 
tracts from  the  apple,  peach  and  mo- 
lasses, all  of  which  required  sugar  to 
ameliorate  the  sharpness  of  the  ex- 
tract in  use  reserved  for  adults.  On 
one  morning  after  Thanksgiving 
children  were  cautioned  that  the 
sugar  remaining  at  the  bottom  of  a 
large  glass  bowl  in  the  "front  room" 
was  not  for  their  exclusive  use  and 
the  caution  practically  enforced. 

Gradually  the  crocus,  tulip,  dahlia 
and  other  bulbous  foreigners  com- 
manded attention,  with  the  hyacinth 
most  delightful  of  all. 

Sweet  corn,  beans  of  varied  heights 
and  values,  lettuce,  onions,  and  the 
carrot,  parsnip,  turnip,  with  beets, 
and  salsify  were  kept  clear  of  noxious 
weeds  until  they  attained  maturity  by 
the  bovs  and  girls,  and  the  celery  was 
well  cared  for  until  it  might  be  trans- 
ferred to  an  earthy  guardian  away 
in  the  cellar  for  Thanksgiving  ser- 
vice. 

Bouquets  were  abundant  and 
swains  and  maids  were  never  without 
some  floral  emblem  of  their  affection- 
ate and  reciprocal  regards. 

GAMES     AND     AMUSEIMENT.S. 

These  were  represented  by  kites, 
marbles,  bow    and  arrow,  slings  of  va- 


rious kinds,  including  the  "living 
sling"  under  the  name  of  "crack  the 
whip,"  made  many  an  extreme  "ender" 
come  to  grief;  wrestling,  running  and 
jumping,  "quoits,"  and  "hopscotch," 
"leap  the  frog"  and  "tag,"  "hide  and 
seek,"  "spy  the  wolf,"  and  for  indoors, 
"blind  man's  buff,"  "whose  got  the 
handkerchief,"  "oats,  peas,  and  barley 
grow,"  "snuff  the  candle  in  the  dark." 
"charades,"  "song,"  and  a  few  dances, 
with  others  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Elder  "pop-guns"  charged  with  wads 
of  tow,  and  goose-quill  potato  guns 
were  common  toys,  while  hunting  fire- 
flies at  night  and  gathering  butterflies 
by  day  for  some  curiosity  collection, 
and  flowers  and  leaves  for  a  herbar- 
ium, were  equal  sport  for  boys  and 
girls  alike. 

"One-old  cat,"  now  more  aristocratic 
as  "baseball,"  and  'two-old  cat"  with 
its  complement  "wicket,"  and  its  an- 
cestral football,  when  hog-killing  in 
the  autumn  furnished  the  bladders, 
were  common,  and  as  prized  as  their 
imitation  of  the  present  day.  Snow 
ball  matches  and  snow  forts  were  clim- 
atic necessities. 

Swimming  and  skating  had  their 
seasons,  as  now,  and  the  old  Indian 
"dug-out"  or  canoe,  of  Indian  origin 
was  the  favorite  water  craft  with 
which  at  annual  visits  to  Fair  Haven 
the  oyster  was  fished  for  and  brought 
home  for  a  glorious  roast  over  griddle 
or  brush  fire  in  the  great  kitchen  fire- 
place. 

PICNICS    AND    EXCURSIONS. 

Out  of  door  recreation  away  from 
the  homestead  had  its  special  places 
and  objects  for  enjoyment.  Paug 
pond  just  beyond  Horace  Austin's 
house  on  Whirl-wind  hill  where  we 
took  keys  for  the  boats  under  his 
charge,  while  his  most  estimable  wife, 
still  living,  supplied  warm  rye  bread 
and  Connecticut  loaf  cake  and  dough- 
nuts as  well  as  fresh  fruit  for  their 
sustaining  qualities,  was  the  favorite 
resort  for  pickerel,  roach  and  perch. 
^Irs.  Austin  tells  me  that  the  shortest 
ride  from  their  house  to  New  Haven 
was  called  "The  Edwards  Road"  and 
still  used,  named  after  Governor 
Pierrepont  Edwards,  whose  residence 
was  on  "Whirlwind  Hill." 

The  Quinnipiac  river  furnished  eels 
for  night  fishing  and  pickerel  as  well 


2:;0 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


as  occasional  trout  to  the  patient  fish- 
er by  day.  Stony  Creek,  Branford 
Point,  and  Guilford  were  the  annual 
resorts  of  all  ages  for  black  fish,  crabs, 
as  well  as  the  wading  process  of 
"clamming"  most  economical  as  well 
as  remunerating  of  all.  All  small 
brooks  had  the  speckled  trout.  Hem- 
lock Grove  below  Rice  Hall's,  on  the 
left,  Mount  Tom  and  Mount  Carmel, 
Hanging  Rock,  and  all  your  intermed- 
iate resorts,  Hanover  grove  included, 
were  objectives  of  excursion  ventures. 
Nutting  parties  gathered  the  hick- 
ory-nut,    hazel-nut,       butter-nut     and 


servers  described  their  deposits  as  of 
fabulous  depth  in  some  quarters  did 
not  pass  unnoticed  even  in  practical 
Wallingford. 

Lyman  Hall  started  from  New  Hav- 
en in  his  ox-cart,  returning  with  some 
barrels  of  flour  for  our  own  and  neigh- 
boring families.  While  slowly  as- 
cending the  Rice  Hall  hill  from  New 
Haven,  a  vast  meteor  of  the  size  of  the 
"full  moon"  made  his  cattle  break 
loose,  dump  his  cart,  singe  his  cheek, 
and  accompany  the  barrels  down  the 
hill  toward  North  Haven  and  Long 
Island    Sound.       At     least,   that     is   a 


LOOKING  UP  COLONY  STREET. 


chestnuts  and  the  same  gay  groups  of 
boys  and  girls  at  the  proper  season, 
picked  wild  strawberries,  raspberries, 
blackberries,  gooseberries,  and  chick- 
erberries,  which  were  always  so  much 
sweeter  than  the  garden  product  at 
home. 

In  short  all  nature  was  at  the  ser- 
vice of  her  children,  and  they  gladly 
accepted  and  utilized  her  favors. 

STARTLING   EPISODES. 

The  meteoric  display  of  "Falling 
Stars"  in  1835  when  much  excited  ob- 


slight  hyperbole  of  his  own  graphic 
description  of  the  heavenly  visitor. 

Lucien  Pomeroy,  the  skillful  per- 
former on  the  "Kent  Bugle"'  aroused 
the  people,  house  by  house,  to  see  the 
strange  phenomena  but  with  approach- 
ing dawn  the  sun  arose  as  usual  and 
the   inhabitants   survived. 

Then  came  the  "Moon  Hoax"  in  the 
little  "New  York  Transcript"  which  re- 
vealed to  us  the  minute  details  of 
"Life  in  the  Moon"  for  our  envy  and 
jealousy,  as  there  were  no  signs  of 
sickness     or     death  in     the     develop- 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


251 


ment  of  their  favored  existence. 
Then  came  the  "authentic  history  of 
Deacon  Giles'  Distillery"  which  in 
those  days  of  hard  cider,  and  cider 
brandy  evolution,  was  taken  by  scores 
of  innocent  deacons  as  personal  to 
themselves.  The  frightful  pictures  of 
the  fiends  of  the  still;  and  its  "worm" 
at  a  white  heat  during  their  infernal 
dance,  seems  at  this  late  day  to  have 
been  as  truthful  and  glaring,  and  no 
more  repulsive  to  the  sensibilities 
than  certain  yellow  literature  of  Anno 
Domini,  1906. 

GREAT    DAYS     OF    THE     PERIOD. 

Independence  day  had  its  public 
"Reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence" upon  the  town  green,  and  it 
was  read  as  reverently  as  if  the  echoes 
from  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  as 
well  as  the  devout  prayer  of  John 
Witherspoon  in  Independence  Hall  at 
Philadelphia,  still  vibrated  on  the  ear. 

Following  drums  and  fife,  a  proces- 
sion marched  through  the  streets  es- 
corting carriages  filled  with  gray- 
haired  old  veterans  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war.  Their  gracious  and  happy 
response  to  the  respectful  salutations 
of  the  observers,  boys  and  men  alike, 
was  both  a  delight  to  the  eye  and  a 
well-spring  of  patriotic  refreshment  to 
the  people  at  large. 

Chinese  fire  crackers,  pin  wheels 
and  rockets,  torpedoes,  tire  balloons 
and  bonfires  were  the  essential  ac- 
companiments of  the  propitious  day 
as  a  matter  of  course. 

On  one  occasion  the  dropping  of 
my  punk  carelesly  into  my  pocket, 
prematurely  started  some  reserved 
crackers  to  life  and  both  pocket  and 
hand  were  subjected  to  remedial 
treatment  upon  my  returxi  home. 

That  also  was  the  great  day  for  a 
trial  of  how  far  and  how  high  the 
single  hand-fire  engine  could  throw 
water.  With  all  these  great  days 
Yale  Bradley,  the  famous  drummer, 
and  his  brother  David,  were  inti- 
mately associated.  In  war  or  peace, 
they  were  loyal  men  and  few  now  liv- 
ing in  Wallingford  can  revert  to  a 
period  in  their  lives  when  the  races 
and  names  of  the  two  were  not  fa- 
miliar. 

TRAINING   DAY. 

Legal  and  obligatory  assembling 
upon   the   town   green   for   the    "able- 


bodied  state  militia,  armed  and 
equipped  as  the  law  directs,"  was 
next  in  importance  and  complexity  of 
details.  The  Wallingford  Light  in- 
fantry, successor  to  a  similar  com- 
pany that  served  under  Lafayette  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  was  gorgeous- 
ly arrayed  in  scarlet  coats,  with 
white  trousers,  and  a  tall  hat,  with 
a  still  taller  feather  of  white,  "top- 
ped with  red"  and  the  "Wallingford 
Dragoons,  armed  with  flint-lock 
horse  pistols  of  immense  size,  heavy 
sabres  and  wearing  the  rich  uniform 
of  colonial  style  and  fur  hat  with  a 
red  cockade,  were  an  equally  grand 
feature  of  the  occasion.  The  "able- 
bodied  militia"  other  than  these  two 
organizations  were  armed  under  an 
unwritten  but  assumed  license  of 
"each  man  arming  himself."  He  al- 
ways "carried  arms;"  but  broom- 
sticks, hoop  poles  and  other  wooden 
weapons  were  his  sole  means  of  at- 
tack or  defense,  and  no  matter  how 
many  drums  of  various  sizes  and  fifes 
of  varying  screech,  might  head  this 
valiant  body,  they  never  lost  the 
name   of   "String-bean   milish." 

The  Congregational  church  steps 
always  disclosed  the  varieties  of 
lunch  used  by  the  boys  on  such  days 
and  peanuts,  water  melons  and  mo- 
lasses candy  suffered  to  the  extent  of 
the  store  supplies  of  the  earlier  town. 

A  noisy  and  terrific  sham  fight 
closed  the  day  and  the  charge  of  the 
Dragoons  at  their  final  overthrow  of 
the  "string  bean  milish"  was  the  oc- 
casion for  shouts  over  the  victory 
won  that  closed  the  day  with  glory. 

MENAGERIE  DAY. 

"Menagerie  day  brought  its  long 
procession  of  open  animal  cages  with 
the  conquering  masters  of  lions  and 
tigers,  at  full  peace  with  their  co- 
inmates,  and  the  elephant,  rhinocer- 
os and  camels  were  only  less  conspic- 
uous than  the  performing  monkeys, 
then  novelties,  as  indeed  all  the  wild 
animals  were  in  the  land  of  "steady 
habits." 

The  tents  were  on  the  public 
green  and  the  erection  and  taking 
down  of  the  canvas  was  as  great  a 
novelty  to  the  boys  as  at  present  in 
New  Haven  or  Boston.  Sometimes  a 
side  show  of  some  human  mon- 
strosity called  for  the  expenditure  of 
a  second  four-pence-hapenny,  'but 
such    extravagance    was    usually      be- 


252 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


yond  the  purse  capacity  when  the 
big  show  was  over,  and  the  elephant 
had  eaten  all  the  peanuts  and  crack- 
ers that  the  boys  could  buy. 

Other  memorial  days  were  Fast 
day,  and  Thanksgiving  day,  each  or- 
dained by  state  authority  and  solemn 
proclamations  were  made  in  advance 
of  each,  and  these  mammoth  in  size, 
were  read  from  each  town  pulpit  the 
Sunday  in  advance  as  well  as  on  the 
day   observed. 

FAST    DAY. 

This  day  was  conscientiously  ob- 
served with  sublime  faith  in  its  ob- 
servance as  a  duty  which  in  earlier 
ages  had  brought  providential  mer- 
cies in  the  averting  of  calamity  or 
bringing  the  church  to  a  more 
humble  sense  of  daily  dependence  up- 
on divine  favor  in  all  the  concerns 
of  domestic  and  national  life.  Amuse- 
ments were  abjured  and  respect  for 
the  day  and  its  purpose  was  honestly 
observed. 

Thanksgiving  day,  which  after  the 
English  service,  when  all  harvests 
had  been  gathered  in  the  fall,  was  a 
day  of  Thanksgiving  in  fact,  and 
signalized  by  home  gatherings  of  re- 
lations of  all  ages  that  could  be  con- 
veniently brought  together,  of  social 
reunion,  and  a  dinner  of  magnificent 
supply.  The  turkey  previously  fat- 
tened up  to  the  highest  possible 
standard  of  weight  was  deposited  in 
the  open  tin  oven  before  the  great 
kitchen  fire  early  in  the  morning  and 
some  member  of  the  family  was 
deprived  of  church  service,  and  the 
rendering  of  a  carefully  rehearsed 
anthem,  lest  the  turkey  should  be 
overcooked  and  the  dinner  lose  its 
best  flavor.  For  a  week  in  advance 
the  great  oven  had  been  worked  to 
its  full  capacity  and  a  great  cup- 
board generally  the  cheese  cupboard, 
was  full  of  pies  exacted  by  this  an- 
nual feast. 

A  chicken  pie  cooked  and  cut  for 
form's  sake,  because  no  one  could  eat 
of  it  and  live  after  the  regular  din- 
ner, was  reserved  for  the  next  day. 

The  desert  was  one  of  the  features 
of  the   Yankee   Thanksgiving   dinner. 

A  large  dining  plate  became  the  pie- 
plate  for  each  adult  guest.  Seven- 
eighths  of  this  plate  were  repositories 
for  pie,  alternating  covered  and  open- 
top  pies.     Their  order  was  this:   Fresh 


apple  pie,  custard  pie,  mince  pie, 
pumpkin  pie,  dried  apple  pie,  a  cross 
slashed,  open  tart  pie,  and  then 
eightly  a  space  for  rice  pudding  with 
raisin  accompaniments. 

From  the  great-grandparents  down 
to  the  smallest  babe  the  family 
branches  were  assembled,  and  with  al- 
monds and  raisins,  and  occasionally 
a  punch  bowl  for  the  more  feeble  and 
elderly  of  the  group,  tne  evening  was 
reached.  Games,  anecdotes  and  tam- 
ily  gossip  or  experience  ended  the 
day's  entertainment. 

Although  Thanksgiving  day  was 
less  strictly  observed  than  the  Sab- 
bath, as  in  earlier  New  England  his- 
tory, the  prescribed  church  attend- 
ants and  cessation  of  the  annual  man- 
ual labor  effected  a  decided  restraint 
upon  many  amusements;  but  gradu- 
ally it  became  permissible  when  skat- 
ing was  exceptionally  fine  or  the  snow 
very  smooth  on  the  country  hills,  for 
the  young  people  to  partake  of  those 
exhilarating  sports  without  peril  to 
the  soul.  Very  many  of  the  people 
even  of  the  stricter  class  conceded  to 
the  young  the  privilege  of  a  Thanks- 
giving night  ball,  especially  If  the 
sleighing  was  first-class. 

The  mid-winter  sleigh  rides  of  that 
period  will  never  be  revived.  I  recall 
one  upon  a  cold  night  wnen  a  trip 
was  to  be  made  to  your  old  tavern  on 
the  hill  yonder.  Large  wagon  beds 
upon  four  runners,  with  side  seats 
like  those  of  a  modern  omnibus  for 
eight  on  a  side,  were  first  bottomed 
with  hay  or  straw  and  then  with  buf- 
falo robes.  Hot  bricks  wrapped  with 
flannel  for  the  feet  and  small  stones 
heated  and  wrapped  for  the  hands 
were  next  in  order.  Tippets,  mufflers 
and  mittens,  all  of  home  manufacture, 
were  carefully  adjusted  by  the  girls 
with  the  help  of  the  boys. 

It  was  a  matter  of  course  that  upon 
arriving  at  Meriden  a  fiddle  would 
supply  the  only  suitable  music  for  the 
dance,  but  for  the  ncle  the  chimes 
of  bells  keyed  from  the  highest  treble 
down  to  the  profoundest  bass  stimu- 
lated each  of  the  four  horses  of  every 
team  to  his  most  exhilarted  motion. 
Even  this  could  not  drown  the  shouts 
of  laughter  from  the  inmates  of  the 
sleighs,   and     whether   in     descending 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


253-. 


Steep  hills  or  skirting  the  slope  of 
some  ugly  snow  drift  the  arms  of  the 
boys  were  a  sufficient  protection 
against  serious  consequences  from  a 
sudden  upset.  It  is  hut  just  to  say 
that  after  the  return  before  morning 
the  heroism  of  rescuing  some  girls  on 
two  such  occasions  was  less  favor- 
ably noticed  when  it  was  learned  that 
each  upset  was  a  fore-arranged  pro- 
gramme between  the  drivers  and  some 
wicked  young  men. 

SufBce  it  to  say  that  all  of  the  rest 
of  the  evening's  entertainment  was  of 
first-class  order,  and  that  Thanksgiv- 
ing day's  provision  baked  in  advance 
was  equal  to  all  the  demands  during 
the  succeeding  week. 

CHRISTMAS    DAY. 

Christmas  day  was  more  generally 
confined  to  Episcopalians,  who  some- 
times substituted  the  goose  and  the 
young  pig  for  the  more  aristocratic 
turkey  and  with  them,  Christmas  eve 
was  the  greatest  of  the  year  with 
music  and  presents.  The  church  dec- 
orations and  music  on  the  day  itself 
were  the  objects  of  admiration  for 
the  non  "church"-going  people,  who 
as  a  rule  only  went  to  their  own 
"meeting  house"  for  religious  wor- 
ship. 

The  "Santa  Claus"  feature  and  the 
"chimney-corner  stocking"  were  too 
attractive  for  the  young  folks  to  admit 
of  parental  prohibition  even  by  Puri- 
tan stock  of  their  enjoyment  of  it  fun, 
its  frolic  and  the  sunrise  discoveries 
that  followed. 

The  first  present  I  ever  received  on 
the  day  before  Christmas,  was  on  the 
24th  of  December,  1831,  when  my 
great  Uncle  Joshua  Atwater,  present- 
ed me  with  a  copy  of  Morse's  "Geog- 
raphy Made  Easy,"  which  had  been 
presented  him  by  his  own  father, 
Caleb  Atwater,  in  1786. 

It  was  my  first  information  from  a 
reliable  source  that  Connecticut  had 
a  population  of  220,000,  6.000  of  whom 
■were  Indians  and  negroes;  but  that 
"the  population  was  characterized  and 
with  too  much  justice,  for  being  in- 
temperately  fond  of  lawsuits,  and  lit- 
tle petty  arbitrations."  It  gave  the 
pleasing  information  that  the  ladies 
of   Connecticut    "are      modest,     hand- 


some and  agreeable,  fond  of  imitat- 
ing new  and  extravagant  fashions,, 
easy  and  unaffected  in  their  manners; 
industrious,  neat  and  cheerful;  pos- 
sessed of  a  large  share  of  delicacy, 
tenderness  and  sensibility." 

New  Haven  was  described  as  a 
large,  neat,  regular  and  well  built 
town  of  about  500  houses.  "It  had  a 
college  edifice,  called  'Connecticut 
Hair  in  place  of  the  old  building 
called  Yale  college,  which  from 
whence  the  university  was  named  had 
been   demolished." 

"Hartford,  the  other  capital,  50 
miles  from  the  sea,  was  said  to  con- 
tain between  400  and  500  houses, 
while  only  four  miles  south  of  it  was 
the  agreeable  town  of  Wethersfield, 
of  a  most  luxurious  soil,  remarkable 
for  the  production  of  onions  and  for 
its  fair  held  twice  in  a  year." 

This  geography  also  taught  me 
that  "the  inhabitants,  taken  collec- 
tively, were  a  religious  people,  and 
that  the  laws  were  very  strict  in  re- 
quiring a  regular  attendance  at  pub- 
lic worship,  but  very  liberal  in  tol- 
erating all  religions,  not  inconsistent 
with  the  peace  and  good  order  of 
the  state."  This  was  abundantly 
confirmed  every  Saturday  night. 

THE     SABBATH. 

Sabbath  day  was  universally  honor- 
ed. Civil  guardians  restrained  out-of- 
door  disturbances  of  its  quiet,  and 
"tithingmen"  with  their  long,  slender 
wands,  gently  touching  suspected  boys 
or  girls,  prevented  disturbances  in  the 
sanctuary. 

With  the  Puritan  stock  the  Sabbath 
commenced  with  the  setting  sun  of 
Saturday  from  their  recognition  of  the 
recorded  fact  that  "evening  and  morn- 
ing made  creation's  first  day."  The 
Episcopalians  counted  the  Sabbath  as 
from  midnight  to  midnight.  A  curi- 
ous complexity  of  social  amenities  re- 
sulted from  this  confusion  in  Sunday 
observance.  It  was  lucky  for  the 
boys  on  the  "Upper  street"  that  they 
were  playing  there  at  the  hour  of 
sunset,  for  when  they  returned  to  the 
"Lower  street"  and  were  solemnly  ask- 
ed "didn't  you  know  it  was  sundown 
and  Sunday?"  The  answer  was  suffi- 
cient. "I  started  home  as  soon  as  the 
sun  went  down." 


254 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


Social  visiting  as  between  neighbors 
on  those  two  evenings  had  to  be  very 
considerately  adjusted   to  this  consci- 
entious but  embarrassing  dilemma. 
My   Countrymen: 

That  observance  of  Sabbath  day  the 
first  "Memorial  day"  solemnly  ordain- 
ed and  set  apart  in  the  earliest  history 
of  the  human  race  for  rest,  thought 
and  thanksgiving,  has  been  the  day 
whose  respectful  observance  has  been 
the  gage  of  the  prosperity  and  happi- 
ness of  all  mankind. 

And  now,  in  closing,  for  we  meet 
for  the  last  time,  I  do  not  wonder  so 
few  survive  who  directly  represent 
those  in  my  mental  vista  with  whom  I 
would  like  to  shake  hands  with  to-day. 
In  the  perspective  glass  of  memory  I 
see  faces,  but  of  those  already  mention- 
ed and  others,  more  than  forty  in  num- 
ber, none  would  respond  if  called  for. 
And  when  I  reverse  the  glass,  they 
glide  away,  generation  after  genera- 
tion, to  a  vanishing  point  beyond  the 
bounds  of  life's  extremist  recognition. 

FACES    RECALLED. 

Allen,  Andrews,  Atwater,  Austin, 
Barker,  Bartholomew,  Beach,  Beadles, 
Beaumont,  Bleakslee,  Bradley,  Can- 
non, Carrington,  Coan,  Cook,  Culver, 
Curtis,  Doolittle,  Elton,  Foote, 
Hall,  Hiddleston,  Hill,  Hough,  Hum- 
miston,  Ives,  Jones,  Johnson,  Kirtland, 
Mix,  Monroe,  Morse,  Munson,  Noyes, 
Northrop,  Parker,  Parmelee,  Peck, 
Preston,  Street,  Thompson,  Wallace, 
Ward,  Webber,  Whittlesey,  Yale,  and 
others. 

Of  real  faces,  representing  this 
group  of  families  and  surviving  from 
the  long  ago,  I  have  met  Elizur  Hall, 
Douglas  Munson,  Henry  Martin,  two 
daughters  of  Mrs.  Beadles,  one  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  Russell  Hall,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  Elijah  Beaumont,  as  well- 
as  others  elsewhere  noticed,  and  in 
your   Mr.    Doolittle,    I    found    so   close 


a  resemblance  to  my  old  Yale  friend, 
the  Rev.  Edgar  Doolittle,  that,  invol- 
untarily I  called  his  name.  But  the 
last  survivor  of  the  Whittlesey  family 
is  not  here,  nor  the  genial  bachelor, 
Joseph  Noyes,  the  last  to  survive  of 
the  large  family  of  Rev.  James  Noyes 
who,  from  very  early  childhood  was 
as  quick  as  Horace  Austin  to  wel- 
come me  home. 

Of  others  who  address  you,  I  am 
reminded  that  Julius  Pratt  was  the 
ophecleide  performer  of  the  once 
famous  "Beethoven  Club"  at  Yale, 
and  at  the  Christmas  eve  rendering 
of  Handel's  "Hallelujah  Chorus"  in 
the  college  chapel,  his  execution  w^as 
one  of  the  most  pronounced  in  effect. 

If  you  ask  me  to  sum  up  my  esti- 
mate of  "What  Wallingford  was  seven- 
ty-five years  ago,"  and  from  a  purely 
judicial  review  of  the  evidence  pro- 
nounce judgment,  it  may  be  summed 
up  in  one  single  charge,  to  you,  grand- 
children and  great  grand-children  of 
our  beautiful  and  ever  honored  town. 

THIS    IS     MY    PARTING    WORD. 

Imitate  and  perpetuate,  as  you  ven- 
erate, that  loyalty  to  home,  God,  and 
country,  which  made  your  ancestors 
industrious,  honest,  self-reliant  and 
honored! 

Emulate  their  intense  devotion  to 
the  examples  and  precepts  of  their  own 
immediate  fore-fathers;  and  with  no 
less  zeal  and  intensity  of  purpose,  emu- 
late the  careful,  intellectual,  moral  and 
industrial  training  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  who  were  to  follow  them, 
and  from  whom  your  immediate  prede- 
cessors took  their  parting  blessing 
when  they   came  hither! 

If,  hereafter,  you  reproduce,  like 
citizenship  and  like  fruitage,  Meriden 
will  outdo  her  present  fame  and  pres- 
tige already  so  honorable  to  the  state 
and  nation,  and  more  than  ever  contri- 
bute to  the  glory  of  America,  and 
through  America,  to  all  mankind. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


255 


THE  COLONIAL  BALL 


The  colonial  ball,  the  crowning  so- 
cial feature  of  the  great  Centennial  cel- 
ebration, was  a  glittering  success  far 
exceeding  the  expectations  of  the  most 
optimistic  member  of  the  Centennial  di- 
rectors. The  most  satisfactory  feature 
of  the  ball  was  the  fact  that  it  was  real- 
ly a  colonial  affair,  as  to  decorations 
and  dress.  The  appearance  of  the  Put- 
nam Phalanx  in  their  continental  uni- 
forms, the  reception  committee  in  court 
costume  and  .the  ladies  of  the  minuet 
in  the  rich  gowns  that  the  real  colonial 
dames  wore,  gave  the  function  an  eight- 
eenth century  stamp  that  was  unmis- 
takable. 

The  new  Town  hall  where  the  ball 
was  held  was  decorated  in  an  elaborate 
manner  and  in  most  becoming  taste 
for  an  event  of  this  kind.  The  prevail- 
ing colors  were  yellow,  blue  and  white, 
the  true  colonial  combination  and  the 
blending  was  in  perfect  harmony.  A 
canopy  of  yellow  and  white  completely 
hid  the  ceiling.  The  walls  of  the  au- 
ditorium were  covered  with  shirred 
white  and  blue  and  the  balcony  front 
was  treated  in  the  same  manner  by  the 
decorators,  Simons  &  Fox,  of  Hartford. 
Many  were  the  compliments  heard  re- 
garding the  decorations  and  the  admir- 
able taste  shown  in  the  entire  matter 
of  preparing  the  hall  for  the  grand  affair. 

The  gowns  of  the  ladies  were  con- 
ceded to  be  the  most  elaborate  ever 
worn  upon  any  occasion  in  this  section, 
all  being  made  with  the  colonial  ball 
in   mind. 

The  music  was  of  the  best.  In  ad- 
dition to  a  picked  orchestra  of  twenty- 
five  men,  the  most  capable  players  in 
town,  Bayne's  Sixty-ninth  regiment 
band  of  New  York,  was  present  and 
furnished  entrancing  music  for  .the 
dance  and  the  imposing  march  that  pre- 
ceded it.  The  orchestra  was  stationed 
in  the  east  gallery  and  the  band  occu- 
pied a  position  in  the  opposite  balcony 
and  all  through  the  night  the  strains 
of  music  heard,  were  not  alone  a  delight 
to  those  in  the  hall,  but  a  pleasure     to 


hundreds  who  gathered  about  the  build- 
ing until  a  late  hour. 

Early  in  the  evening  both  band  and 
orchestra  gave  concert  music  of  a  high 
order  and  then  alternated  in  rendering 
the  music  for  the  long  programme  of 
dances  that  had  been  arranged. 

After  10:30  a  buffet  luncheon  was 
served  in  the  old  Universalist  church, 
which  was  connected  by  a  canopy  with 
the  hall.  The  luncheon  was  in  keep- 
ing with  all  the  other  departments  of 
the  ball  and  was  served  in  Maynard's 
best  style. 

GRAND     MARCH. 

The  grand  march  was  led  by  the 
Putnam  Phalan,  Major  Mahl  at  the 
head,  with  Miss  Agnes  Curtis,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  M.  Curtis. 
Mr.  Curtis,  chairman  of  the  Centennial 
committee,  came  next  with  Mrs-  Mahl. 
Then  came  the  reception  committee  in 
their  court  dress  and  following  them 
were  100  couples  in  evening  attire.  The 
march  was  directed  by  W  Emerson 
Rogers  and  was  an  inspiring  sight,  es- 
pecially   from    the    galleries. 

THE    MINUET. 

The  minuet,  the  dance  of  colonial 
days,  was  given  by  sixteen  members 
of  the  Phalanx  and  their  ladies,  and 
it  was  a  feature  of  the  ball  that  willl 
ever  be  remembered  by  those  who  saw 
it.  It  was  perfectly  given  and  awarded 
with  rounds  of  hearty  and  well  de- 
served applause. 

Those  who  took  part  in  the  minuet 
and  the  dresses  of  the  ladies  are  given 
herewith  : 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  Z.  Brewer;  light 
green  striped  satin,  duchess  lace,  with 
diamonds. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  J.  Riley,  brocaded 
satin,  hand  embroidered,  Vincennes 
stripes,  lace  and  pearls. 

J.  P.  Allen,  with  Mrs.  George  Prut- 
ting;    mauve    brocade,    gold    trimmings 

L.  \y.  Muller  with  Miss  Lillian  Mul- 
ler;  pink  satin  with  white  lace  trim- 
ming. 


2:;6 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


FRARAY   HALE, 
Secretary    Wallingford    Committee. 


W.   F.   LANE, 
Member  Wallingford   Committee. 


O.  H.  D.  FOWLER, 
Member  Wallingford  Committee. 


THEODORE  F.  LANE, 
Member  Wallingford  Committee. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN, 


257 


THE    GOWNS. 

The  gowns  worn  by  the  ladies  were: 

Miss  Agnes  Curtis — Colonial  gown 
of  embroidered  batiste  over  Pompa- 
dour silk. 

Miss  Elsie  Lyon — Pale  blue  peau  de 
soie,  real  lace. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Hinsdale — Blue  crepe  de 
chine. 

Mrs.  C  E.  Stockder — Figured  net 
over   pink. 

Mrs.   C.   F.  Linsley— Black  silk. 

Mrs.  Love,  Montclair,  N.  J.— Black 
chiffon   cloth. 

Mrs.  John  A.  Slater— White  dotted 
mulle. 

Mrs.  C  B.  Merriam — Black  silk  and 
jet. 

Miss  Bishop — White  mulle. 

Mrs.  C  F.  Monroe — Black  lace. 

Misses  Grace  and  Gertrude  Lane — 
Pink  eolian   silk. 

Mrs.  Geo.  R.  Curtis — Black  silk  and 
lace. 

Mrs.  John  S.  Lane — Gray  eolian  and 
rose  point  lace. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Pallett— Grav  silk. 

Mrs.  J.  F.  _  McDonnefl— White  silk 
batiste,  embroidered- 
Mrs.  F.  J.  O'Neil— Pompadour  silk 
and  lace. 

Mrs.  Minnie  Smith,  New  Haven- 
White  mulle. 

Mrs.  Benjamin  W-  Collins — Cream 
Sicilian. 

Mrs.  W.  B.  Warner,  New  Haven — 
Black   lace. 

Mrs.  J.  F.  Dickey,  Holyoke— Bla-.k 
lace. 

Mrs.  H.  W.  Kibbe— White  silk  and 
lace. 

Mrs.  John  R.  Judd,  Kent,  Conn. — 
White  silk,  real  lace. 

Miss  Bessie  Allerton,  Passaic,  N.  J. 
— White  mulle. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Parsons,  Washington,  D. 
C. — White  mulle  and  lace. 

Miss  Alice  Parsons — White  silk. 

Miss  Anna  Rice— White  lace  and 
mulle. 

Miss  Marion  Smith — Pink  pina  cloth. 

Mrs.  Frank  E.  Sands — -White  lace. 

Mrs.  A.  D.  Meeks— Pink  figured 
mulle. 

Mrs.  Scott  Benjamin,  Hartford — 
Blue  silk  and   lace. 

Mrs.  L  B.  Miller— White  chiffon,  red 
carnations. 

Mrs.  N.  L.  Bradley — Heliotrope  ra- 
dium silk  and  lace,  diamonds. 

Miss    Peck — Pink   taffeta    and    lace. 

17 


Mrs.  E.  E.  Smith — Grey  crepe  de 
chine. 

Miss  Isabel  Smith— White  embroid- 
ered mulle. 

Dr.  Helen  West — Black  peau  de  soie. 

Mrs.  Marion  West— Black  chiffon 
cloth. 

Mrs.  Wm.  B.  Treadway — Figured 
silk. 

Mrs.  H.  A,  Stevens— Electric  blue 
silk. 

Mrs.  Herman  Hess— Black  lace. 

Mrs.  H.  T.  King— White  embroid- 
ered mulle. 

Miss  Ethel  ]\Iix— White  net. 

Miss  Lelia  Ives,  New  Haven— White 
net. 

Mrs.  Arthur  Glaessner— Black  chif- 
fon cloth  with  lace. 

Mrs.  Horace  C.  WUcox— Black  lace 
over    white    silk,    diamonds. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Talmadge,  Westfield— 
Black   lace   over   white    silk. 

Mrs.    George    N.    Morse— Cream    net. 

Mrs.  J.  D.  Eggleston— Black  span- 
gled net,  real  lace. 

Mrs.    C.    E.    Schunack— White    mulle. 

Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Rockwell— Black  crepe 
de  chine,   diamonds. 

Mrs.  Charles  F.  Rockwell— White 
chiffon  cloth,  rose  point. 

Mrs.  R.  F.  Amend,  New  York- 
Light  blue  messaline  and  Irish  crochet 
lace. 

Miss  Florence  Marsden — Light  blue 
crepe  de  chine  and  lace. 

Mrs.  G.  N.  ]\Ioser,  Brooklyn— White 
dotted  Swiss,  German  vaienciennes 
trimmings. 

Miss  Beacham,  Shenandoah,  Pa  — 
Grey  silk. 

^irs.  A.  B.  Sriuire— White  embroid- 
ered  spangled   robe   over  white   silk. 

Mrs.  Henry  Warren — White  Leah 
lace    with    point    applique,    diamonds. 

Miss  Warren— White  Pompadour 
lace,  diamonds. 

Mrs.  John  Piatt  Allen,  New  York, 
Pa. — -White   satin,   Dnchesse   lace. 

Miss  Ross,  Brooklyn — Brocaded  taf- 
feta, trimmed  with  silver  lace,  dia- 
monds. 

Airs.  J.  H.  White— Gray  eolian 
Duchesse   lace,   diamonds. 

Miss  Nan  Carter — Pale  blue  crepe  de 
chine    and    lace. 

Miss  Sophie  Smith,  Bridgeport — 
White  mulle. 

Miss  Julia  Smith,  Bridgeport^ 
White  mulle. 

Mrs.  Gilbert  Rogers — White  net  and 
diamonds. 


258 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


R.  G.  CHURCH, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


I.    B.    AHLLER. 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


1 

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1 

1 

HOW.VRD  R.  CLRTIS. 
Colonial    Ball   Committee. 


JOHN    !••.    .MDUNXL'LL. 
Colonial     r>all     Connnittee. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


259 


Mrs.  Cephas  B.  Rogers — White  sat- 
in, Irish  point  applique. 

Mrs.  M.  R.  Wright— Blue  figured 
silk  and   lace. 

Miss  Sarah  C.  Rogers,  Danbury — 
White  net  with  applique. 

Miss  Marie  Hoflfman  Rogers,  Dan- 
bury — Pink  chiffon. 


GEORGE  H.  YEAMANS, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


Mrs.  Leslie  Tredennick,  Brooklyn — 
Figured   organdie. 

Mrs.  Chas.  T.  Dodd— White  net  and 
lace,  diamonds. 

Mrs.  E.  T.  Bradstreet — Figured 
crepe,  turquoises. 

Mrs.  F.  L.  Murdock— Blue  rajah  silk. 

Mrs.  Truman  Barnes,  Shelton — 
White   net   over   pink. 

Mrs.  Horace  C.  Moses,  New  York — 
White  lace  and   diamonds. 

Mrs.  Edward  Tredennick — Black 
chiffon. 

Mrs.  Harry  C    Lane — Black  lace. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Yale,  Brooklyn — Black 
chiffon. 

Mrs.  Cephas  B.  Rogers,  2d,  Danbury 
— Electric  blue  silk,  Vace  and  diamonds. 


Miss  Kate  Nickerson — White  mulle, 
cherry-colored    ribbons. 

Miss  Edwina  Parmelee,  Wallingford 
— Pink  Howered  crepe. 

Miss  Helen  Mix — White  mulle. 

Miss  Bradstreet — Flowered  crepe. 

Miss  Marjorie  Piatt  —  Accordion 
pleated  radium  silk  and  lace. 

Mrs.  J.  P.  Piatt— White  chiffon  cloth 
and  coral. 

Miss  Waterman,  Hudson,  N.  Y. — 
White  organdie  and  lace. 

Mrs.  A.  Chamberlain — White  crepe 
de  chene,  diamonds. 

Mrs.  Charles  L.  Rockwell — White 
lace. 

Miss  C.  S.  Phelps— White  silk. 

Mrs.  I.  B.  Beach — White  embroidered 
mulle. 


HOWARD  STEVENSON, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


Miss  Dorothy  Doolittle — Pompadour 
organdie   and  valenciennes. 

Mrs.  Frederick  L.  Huntington — 
White  mulle. 

Mrs.  Eugene  A.  Hall — Black  silk. 

Mrs.  W.  H.  Potter,  Guilford— White 
mulle. 


26o 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


J.  H.  ROBERGE, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


C.  W.  CAHILL,  JR., 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


GEORGE  OHL, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


ARTHUR   D.   MEEKS, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


261 


Mrs.  Charles  H.  Tredennick — Figured 
organdie. 

Miss  Clara  Savage — White  mulle. 

Miss    Cahill — Pink    figured    organdie 
with  lace. 

Miss     Grobell,     Wallingford— White 
silk  and  lace. 

Miss  Tracy — White   lace. 

Miss     Polsey — Yellow      silk      mulle, 
chiffon  and  lace. 

Miss  Stone,  Boston — White  organdie 
and  lace. 

Mrs.  Henry  Butler — White  embroid- 
ered net  over  pink. 

Miss  Talmadge,  Westfield — White 
embroidered   mulle. 

Miss  Kate  Lewis,  Stratford — White 
point  d'esprit. 

Miss  Burr,  Bridgeport — White  lawn 
and  lace. 

Miss  Warner,  Springfield — BlacE  silk 
and  lace. 

Mrs.  P.  L.  Hamilton — Black  dotted 
net. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Parish — Black  crepe  de 
chene. 

Mrs.  C.  M.  Williams— Black  silk. 

Mrs.  B.  C.  Kennard — Black  lace  over 
pink. 

Mrs.  William  McKenzie,  Princeton, 
N.  J. — Figured  organdie  and  lace. 

Mrs.  E.  A.  Wilson — Black  net,  steel 
trimmings. 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Kelsey^White  lace  robe 
over  white  silk. 

Mrs.  P.  C.  Edgerton— White  silk  and 
lace. 

Mrs.  George  W.  Palrchild — White 
veiling,  blue  trimmings. 

Mrs.  W.  F.  Ramsey,  Cromwell — 
Black  net  and  velvet. 

Mrs.  H.  C.  Bell,  Portland— Black 
crepe   de   chine,   jet  trimmings. 

Mrs.  Frederick  de  Peyster,  Portland 
— Black  lace  over  brocaded  silk  and 
jet. 

Mrs.  Arthur  M.  Brooks — Pink  dotted 
net. 

Mrs.  Charles  S.  Perkins— White  silk 
mulle. 

Miss  Mabel  Coe — Pale  blue  brocaded 
silk,  lace  trimmings. 

Mrs.  E.  B.  Moss — Blue  eolian,  white 
lace. 

Mrs.   Williams — Black  net. 

Mrs.  W.  B.  P.  Landers,  Jr.— White 
messaline,  rose  point. 

Mrs.  Wells  McMasters,  Sound  Beach 
— Pink  net  over  pink  silk. 


Mrs.  J.  A.  Cooke — White  crepe  de 
chene. 

Miss  Shailer,  New  Britain — White 
lace,   imported   gown. 

Miss  Harmon — Point  d'esprit  over 
white  silk. 

Mrs.  P.  A.  Wuterich— Pale  blue 
silk. 

Mrs.  Walter  H.  Bradley— Heliotrope 
chiffon  and  velvet  embroidered  in 
spangles,  diamonds. 

Miss  Young,  Hartford — Black  and 
white. 

Mrs.  John  Ives^Black  lace  and  rose 
point. 

Miss  Gladys  Keeney — White  Vene- 
tian lace. 

Mrs.    John      Henderson,      Hartford — 
Flowered  point  d'esprit   over  pink   silk. 
Mrs.   Russell   A.   Frisbie,   Cromwell — 
White    silk    and    black    lace. 

Mrs.  H.  C.  Bell,  Portland— Black 
crepe  de  chene  and  jet. 

Miss  Evelyn  Du  Plessis — White  mulle. 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Cheeney— White  lace. 
Mrs.    E.    D.    Hall — White    organidie 
and  Cluny  lace. 

Miss   Lena  Wilcox— White   silk. 
Miss    Marie      Burnett,      Springfield — 
Figured    blue    organdie. 

Miss  Alice  Burnett,  Springfield — 
Pink  organdie. 

Miss    Bannister — White   mulle. 
Mrs.    Irving    Smith — White      Persian 
lawn,  Valenciennes. 

Mrs.  Walter  E.  Coe — Black  spangled 
net   over   white   silk. 

Mrs.  C.  E.  Flynn^White  lace,  dia- 
monds. 

Miss  _  Alice  Hughes,  New  York — 
White  lace. 

Miss  Anna  Curran — White  net  and 
applique  over  white  taffeta. 

Miss  Landrigan — White  chiffon 
Panama,  Cluny  lace. 

Miss  Mollie  Reilly— White  silk 
mulle,  val  lace. 

Mrs.      H.      C.      Bibeau — Steel      gray, 
banzai     silk    princess,  Irish  crochet  lace. 
Mrs.        Louis      Fisk — White      chiffon 
cloth  and  lace,  diamonds. 

Miss  Booth,  New  Britain— White 
dotted  lace. 

Mrs.  Howard  B.  Angel — White  or- 
gandie. 

Miss  Louise  Morse — White  mulle 
and    lace. 

Mrs.  Eli  Butler — Pink  organdie  and 
thread  lace- 

IMrs.  Harry  H.  Smith — White  organ- 
die  and   lace. 


262 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


J.   H.    HlNiSUALK, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


W.   C.   HIRSCHFELD, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


C.   W.   CLOCK, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


F.   H.    BILLARD, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


263 


Mrs.  W.  L.  Squire — Black  lace. 

Mrs.  p.  H.  Keller — Black  crepe  de 
chine  and  lace. 

Mrs.  W.  W.  Finnegan — Pale  grey 
crepe  de  chene. 

Miss  Ives,  New  Haven — White 
mulle. 

Mrs.  W.  I.  Wilcox — Black  spangled 
net. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  P.  Fox;  white  bro- 
cade satin,  hand  embroidered  in  Per- 
sian, trimmed  with  oriental  lace ;  dia- 
monds. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  D-  Rowley;  pale 
blue  overdress,  yellow  petticoat, 
pearls. 


C.  E.  STOCKDER, 
Colonial  Ball  Committee. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Bigelow;  old 
rose  satin  brocaded  with  old  lace  trim- 
mings. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emil  Schierholz;  cream 
colored  satin,  pearl  front,  duchess  and 
point  lace. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Mahl ;  laven- 
der  and   green,   pearl   trimmings. 

George  Prutting,  with  Mrs.  Henry 
Bickford ;  white  brocaded  satin,  point 
lace,  pearls. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Smith;  old  rose 
striped  gown  with  duchess  lace. 


Dr.  J.  E.  Root  with  Miss  Lillian 
Georgia;  gown  of  green  figured  with 
ivy  leaf. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  K.  Morgan;  yellow 
brocade,  Irish  point  lace,  diamonds. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  S.  Dwyer,  pink 
brocade. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  L.  Wakefield;  pom- 
padour silk. 

J.  W.  Titcomb  with  Miss  Clara 
Georgia ;    yellow   brocade. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  H.  Johnston,  bro- 
caded blue  silk,  white  satin  petticoat, 
duchess  lace. 

OCCUPANTS    OF    BOXES. 

Boxes  had  been  arranged  about  the 
hall  and  all  were  taken  and  the  occu- 
pants arranged  for.  The  first  two 
rows  in  the  gallery  were  given  over  to 
holders  of  floor  tickets,  but  the  remain- 
der of  the  gallery  was  open  to  the 
public. 

Those  who  occupied  the  various  boxes 
were  as  follows : 

Box  I— Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  W.  Collins, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Dickie,  Holyoke,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  H.  W.  Kibbe,  Mrs.  Wilbur  B. 
Warner,  Miss  Minnie  H.  Smith,  New 
Haven. 

Box  2 — Louis  E.  Wilcox,  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  E.  D.  Hall,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Irv- 
ing Smith,  Miss  Alice  Burnett,  Miss 
Marie  Burnett,  Miss  Clara  E.  Wilcox, 
Miss  Laura  Bannister,  George  Ohl. 

Box  3— Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Flynn, 
Captain  J.  J.  Landrigan,  Miss  Lizzie 
Landrigan,  William  Lynch,  New  York, 
Miss  Alice  Hough,  New  York,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Pallett,  Miss  Annie  Curran, 
Mr.  Bridgett,  Wallingford. 

Box  4— Mayor  Thos.  L.  Reilly,  Miss 
Reilly,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  C.  Bibeau,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  F.  McDonnell,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  F.  J.  O'Neil,  T.  P.  Dunne,  Miss 
Margaret  McKeogh,  Hartford. 

Box  5.— Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  M.  Cur- 
tis, Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Squire,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  C.  La  Rue  Munson,  Mrs. 
George  R.  Curtis,  Miss  Agnes  Curtis. 

Box  6 — Mr.  and  Mrs  Amend,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Unkles,  Mr.  Schmidt,  Miss  Mars- 
ton,  Mrs.  Moser,  Mr.  Beacham  and  lady. 

Box  7 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Warren, 
Miss  Warren,  Miss  Ross,  Miss  Allen, 
John  Allen,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  White. 

Box  8— -Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  S.  Lane, 
Misses  Gertrude  and  Grace  Lane,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Harry  C.  Lane,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Oliver  Yale. 


264 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


Box  9— Mrs.  E.  H.  White,  Allen 
White  and  lady,  J.  D.  Norton  and  ladv, 
R.  W.  Carter,  Miss  Nan  Carter,  E.  j. 
Doolittle. 

Box  10 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cephas  B. 
Rogers,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert  Rogers, 
Ralph  Rogers,  Harold  G.  Rogers,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cephas  B.  Rogers,  2nd,  Dan- 
bury,  Miss  Sarah  C.  Rogers,  Danbnry, 
Miss  Marie  H.  Rogers,  Danbury. 

Box  II— Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  H.  Keller, 
Mrs.  Howard  Angell,  Miss  Louise 
Morse,  Lawrence  Blackman,  Miss 
Mabel  Wright,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Finnegan. 

Box  13— Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  G.  Fuller. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  E  .Tredennick,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hor- 


W.    E.    HINSDALE, 
Colonial    Ball    Committee. 

ace  C.  Moses,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leslie  Tre- 
dennick. 

Box  14— F.  H.  Billard  and  lady,  W. 
E.  Hinsdale  and  ladj-,  H.  L  Stevenson, 
Miss  Ives,  New  Haven,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.  M.  Williams,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Davis. 

Box  15 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Fisk. 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Talmadge,  Miss  Talmadge, 
Robert  G.  Church,  Mrs.  Ellen  Wilco.x, 
George  Cahill  and  lady,  Harold  Sei- 
densticker  and   lady. 

Box  16 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  N. 
Morse,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  D.  Eggleston, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  T.  King,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
C.  E.  Schunack,  John  B  Morse  and  lady. 

Box  17— C.  W.  Cahill.  jr.,  Miss  Dora 
Tracy,  W.  J.  Cahill.  Miss  Cahill,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Cooke,  D.  F.  McCartln-. 
Robert   R.   Reillv,    Miss   Grobell. 


Box  18— Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  F.  Rock- 
well, Mrs.  W.  F.  Rockwell,  Mr.  ajid 
Mrs.  IL  A.  Stevens,  Dr.  Helen  West, 
Mrs.  Marion  B.  West,  Dr.  Treadlway^ 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  Hess. 

Box  19— Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  A.  Hall,. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  L.  Huntington,  Miss- 
Huntington,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  Mc- 
Master,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Tredennick,. 
Master   Hess,   Miss  Lewis. 

Box  20 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Smith, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  A.  Kelsey,  Miss  Julia 
Hull,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  C.  Edgerton,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  T.  H.  Warnock,  Miss  Isabel 
Smith. 

Box  21— Mr.  and  Airs.  C.  E.  Stock- 
der,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  E.  Beach,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  F.  Linsley,  E.  J.  Doolittle,  Miss 
Doolittle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J  .H.  Hinsdale. 

Box  22 — D.  L.  Bishop  and  ladv,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  E.  B.  Moss,  Mr.  and  A'lrs.  L. 
A.  Miller,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Phelps, 
Mr.   and   Mrs.   A.   B.   Jennings. 

Box  23 — Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  Chamber- 
lain. A.  R.  Chamberlain,  Miss  Water- 
man, Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  C.  White,  Mr. 
and   Mrs.   James   P.    Piatt. 

Box  24— Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  L.  Bradley, 

C.  P.  Bradley,  Miss  Lucy  Peck,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  C.  L.  Rockwell,  Rev.  J.  J.  Wool- 
lev,    Walter    Hubbard 

Box  25— Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  D  .Meeks, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  E.  Sands,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  I.  B.  Miller,  Mr  and  Mrs  C.  F. 
Monroe,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  F.  L.  Murdock. 

Box  26— Dr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  F.  Lan- 
ders, jr.,  Walter  S.  Billard  and  lady, 
Robert  J.  Merriam  and  lady,  N.  C. 
Johnson  and  lady,  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Eli 
Butler. 

Box  27 — Dr.  and  Mrs.  E.  T.  Brad- 
street,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  T.  Dodd,  How- 
ard   R.    Curtis,    Miss    Kate    Nickerson, 

D.  H.  Havens,  Miss  Edwina  Parmelee, 
Wallingford. 

Box  28— Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  W.  Coe, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  L.  Lawton. 

Box  29— Dr.  E.  W.  Smith,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  R.  Judd,  Kent,  Conn.,  Miss 
Alice  Parsons,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Charles  E.  Parsons,  Washington,  D.  C, 
]Miss  Allerton,  Passaic,  N.  J.,  Miss 
Eaton,  New  York,  Miss  Marion  Smith, 
David  Smith,  Addison  Bidwell,  Spring- 
field,   Mass. 

SUB    COMMITTEES. 

I*"ollowing  is  a  list  of  the  sub-com- 
mittees in  charge  of  the  various  de- 
tails for  the  Colonial  ball : 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


265 


Ways  and  Means — Fred  H.  Billard, 
chairman ;  C.  E.  Stockder,  H.  L.  Stev- 
erson.  C.  H.  Yeamans,  I.  B.  Miller,  J.  H. 
Hinsdale.  J.  F.  McDonnell,  Waldemar 
Hirschfeld,  A.  D.  Meeks,  C.  W.  Clock, 
C  W.  Cahill,  jr. 

Publicity  and  promotion — -J.  F.  Mc- 
Donnell,  chairman ;   W.   E.   Hinsdale,   I. 

B.  Miller,  Howard  R.   Curtis. 
Reception — J.  H.  Hinsdale,  chairman  ; 

C.  E.    Stockder,  R.   C.   Church,  George 
Ohl. 

Decorations — Waldemar  Hirschfeld, 
chairman;  G.  H.  Yeamans,  J.  A.  Ro- 
berge,   J.    H.    Hinsdale. 

Supper — A.   D.   Meeks,   chairman ;   W. 

E.  Hinsdale,   J.    F.    McDonnell,    Ceorge 
Ohl. 

Music  and  dancing — H.  L.  Steven- 
son, chairman;  C.  W.  Cahill,  jr.,  How- 
ard R.  Curtis,  R.  G.  Church. 

Costumes — C.    W.     Clock,    chairman  ; 

F.  H.  Billard,  A.  D.  Meeks,  H.  L.  Stev- 
enson. 

DANCE    PROGRAMME. 

The  dance  programme  was  most  at- 
tractive and  reflected  great  credit  upon 
the  judgment  of  the  committee.  On  the 
front  cover  were  the  words,  "1806-1906" 
and  the  seal  of  the  town  of  Meriden. 

The  programme  of  dances  was  as 
follows : 

Grand   march — Serenade    Procession. 


California  Reel — Selected. 

Two    Step — Our    President. 

Waltz — Wedding  of  the  Winds. 

Two   Step — Old   Heidelberg. . 

Waltz — Artists'    Life. 

Two   Step — College  Widow. 

Lanciers — The  Smart  Set. 

Two    Step — One    of   the    Boys. 

Waltz — Dreams  of  Childhood. 

Two    Step — Rogers    Brothers    in    Ire- 
land. 

Waltz — Leonore. 

Two  Step — Fd  Like  to  Be  a  Gunner 
in  the  Navy. 

Waltz^A  Madcap  Princess. 

Two   Step — Starlight. 

Waltz — Thine,  Ever  Thine. 

Two   Step — Flying  Arrow. 

Lanciers — Gaiety. 

Two    Step — The    Kilties. 

Waltz — A    Night    in    June. 

Two  Step — Can't  You  See  Fm  Lone- 
ly? 

Waltz — It   Happened   in  Nordland. 
Two  Step — Silver  Heels. 

Waltz — Babes   in  Toyland. 

Two    Step — Moon   Dear. 

Lanciers — -Fair  Dame. 

Two  Step — Lady  Teazle. 

Waltz — Golden   Sunset. 

Two   Step — Miss   Dolly   Dollars. 

Waltz — Memories   of  the   Past. 

Virginia     Reel — The     Irish     Washer- 
woman. 


PARADE  OF  PUTNAM  PHALANX 


As  this  was  what  might  be  called 
the  Colonial  day  of  the  Centennial  week 
it  was  appropriate  that  the  famous  Put- 
nam Phalan,  of  Hartford,  the  onh'  mil- 
itary organization  in  the  country  that 
wears  the  old  colonial  uniform  should 
have  been  the  principal  and  to  an  extent 
the  most  prominent  guests  of  the  town. 
The  public  somehow  or  other  appeared 
to  share  in  that  feeling.  From  the  time 
the  Centennial  celebration  opened  there 
was  nothing  but  hurrah  and  cheer  and 
jollity.  Thursday  was  the  day  of  days 
for  noise.  It  was  in  every  sense  of  the 
word  a  military  day  and  the  people  let 
themselves  loose  in  the  matter  of  cheers 
and  noise  of  all  kinds. 


But  to-day  was  more  like  it  should 
be,  a  Colonial  day.  The  spirit  of  their 
ancestors  appeared  to  permeate  the  peo- 
ple no  matter  what  their  standing  in 
the   business   life. 

The  Putnam  Phalan,  whose  history 
dates  back  far  beyond  the  ken  of  man 
of  the  present  generation,  arrived  at 
1 :20  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  from  New 
Haven  where  they  had  rested  after  a 
strenuous  day  in  Greenwich  where  they 
had  assisted  in  the  dedication  of  the 
Putnam  House  in  that  village.  There 
was  not  more  than  the  usual  crowd  at 
the  depot  when  the  train  rolled  in,  and 
they  were  only  merely  curious.  After 
thev  had  entrained  the  Phalan  lost  lit- 


266 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


tie  time.  Sergeant  Thayer,  who  had 
charge  of  the  police  squad,  consulted 
with  Major  Mahl,  in  command  of  the 
Phalanx,  and  after  he  had  looked  over 
some  of  the  veterans  of  many  wars,  de- 
cided  to   cut   the   line  of   march. 


noble  Duke  of  York  and  soldiers.  Like 
the  duke's  men  they  stuck  to  the  task 
set  before  them  and  without  a  grum- 
ble went  up  the  hill  and  down  again. 
It  is  the  old  spirit  of  the  Phalan.K,  to 
do  or  die. 


ROGERS  BUILDING,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


Headed  by  their  own  drum  corps  that 
plays  only  colonial  tunes,  the  Phalanx 
bravely  started  up  the  hill  to  the  mon- 
ument at  the  Town  hall.  Some  of  the 
men  in  the  ranks  when  they  saw  what 
was  before  them  sang  the  song  of  t'lc 


The  Phalanx  had  what  in  truth  might 
well  be  called  a  hearty  greeting.  Many 
a  head  was  bared  as  the  command 
trudged  along  and  especially  was  that 
true  when  the  colors  passed.  The  spirit 
of  the   day  was  everywhere. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


267 


There  were  some  mighty  men  in  that 
famous  company.  Some  of  them  tipped 
the  scales  at  260  pounds  and  weightier 
than  that  in  the  world  of  finance  and 
in  the  law.  Among  them  were  seen  an 
ex-judge,  an  ex-mayor,  several  banker;, 
dry  goods  merchants  and  two  authors. 

The  company  made  a  handsome  sight 
as  it  marched  up  and  down  the  East 
Main  street  hill.  The  uniforms  and  ac- 
coutrements are  the  same  as  worn  by 
their  forefathers  hundreds  of  years  ago. 
Their  heads  were  stopped  by  three-cor- 
nered hats  with  black  and  red  plumes 
in  the  front.  The  coat  of  old  fashion- 
ed colonial  style  and  faced  with  buff, 
or  as  it  is  now  called,  colonial  yellow. 
The  waistcoats  were  of  buff  with  large 
buttons  of  a  style  that  went  out  of  fash- 
ion a  hundred  years  ago.  Knee 
breeches  of  black  velvet  were  worn  over 
buff  topped  boots.  The  guns  they  car- 
ried would  make  some  men  not  in 
the  ranks  faint  with  fatigue  before  half 
the  march  had  been  covered.  These 
old  fashioned  flint  lock  muskets 
weighed  only  eleven  and  one -half 
pounds  each  and  when  a  man  of  seventy 
carries  one  of  them  around  for  a  mile 
or  so  it  is  a  pull  on  the  vit.il'ty.     But 


not  a  man  protested  and  every  man  was 
in  his  place  in  the  ranks  when  the  pa- 
rade was  dismissed  in  front  of  .''he 
Winthrop  hotel  after  the  review  by 
Mayor  Reilly  and  the  centennial  com- 
mittee. 

One  incident  of  the  parade  that  was 
overlooked  by  a  large  number  of  the 
spectators  was  the  color  guard.  On 
each  side  of  the  colors  marched  a  man 
with  gun  cocked.  The  man  on  the  left 
had  the  muzzle  resting  on  the  left  arm 
and  the  man  on  the  right  let  the  muz- 
zle of  his  gun  rest  secure  on  the  right 
arm.  The  hammers  were  up  readv  at 
any  time  to  repel  the  enemy.  This 
custom  has  been  followed  ever  since 
the  Phalan  was  organized.  It  has  also 
been  stated,  and  not  contradicted,  ti"at 
the  guns  of  the  color  guard  are  loaded 
and  primed,  ready  for  whatever  might 
happen. 

The  Phalanx  were  given  a  short 
march  and  were  dismissed  at  the 
Winthrop  hotel  in  time  to  meet  the  la- 
dies of  their  families  and  escort  them 
to  their  rooms  in  the  hotel  where  they 
rested  until  time  for  the  minuet  at  the 
Colonial  ball  at  the  Auditorium  held 
in  the  evening. 


HISTORY  OF   PUTNAM    PHALANX. 


The  Putnam  Phalanx  of  Hartford, 
the  Amoskeag  veterans  of  Man- 
chester, N.  H-,  and  the  Worcester 
Continentals  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  are 
the  only  three  military  organizations 
in  New  England  which  preserve  In- 
tact the  uniform  and  drill  of  che  Rev- 
olutionary   army   under    vv'^ashington. 

Of  these  three  commands  the  Put- 
nam Phalanx  is  the  most  widely 
known  throughout  the  country,  its 
extended  pilgrimages  north,  south 
and  west  and  in  Canada  having  en- 
sured it  permanent  distinction  as  a 
military  body.  It  has  visited  or 
passed  through  at  least  thirty  of  the 
forty-five  states  of  the  Union.  At 
the  Centennial  celebration  of  the 
battle  of  Bennington,  Vt.,  the  com- 
mand acted  as  escort  for  President 
Hayes  and  members  of  his  cabinet, 
and  on  returning  from  the  Nashville 
centennial  in  October,  1897,  it  was 
given  a  special  reception  at  the 
White  House  by  President  McKinley. 


It  was  originally  organized  August 
25,  1858,  with  the  object  m  view  of 
receiving  Governor  Thomas  H.  Sey- 
mour on  his  return  from  the  Russian 
capital,  where  he  held  the  place  of 
United  States  minister.  Governor 
Seymour,  who  had  served  with  great 
gallantry  in  the  Mexican  war,  was 
the  idol  of  Hartford,  and  the  public 
disposition  was  to  give  him  the  most 
brilliant  of  receptions  on  his  return 
from  Europe.  At  a  preliminary 
meeting  held  in  the  Seymour  Artil- 
lery armory  in  Hartford,  August  20, 
1858,  it  was  voted  that  the  corps 
should  be  called  the  Putnam  Phalanx 
in  honor  of  General  Israel  Putnam, 
the  Revolutionary  hero  from  Con- 
necticut. 

Horace  Goodwin  was  elected  ma- 
jor. The  original  captains  were 
Allyn  S.  Stillman  and  Alexander  M. 
Gordon.  The  first  judge  advocate 
was  the  noted  orator,  Isaac  W.  Stuart 
of  Hartford  The  roll  of  the  battalion 


^68 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


EDWARD  MAHL, 
Major  Putnam  Phalanx. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


269 


comprised  the  names  of  150  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  citi- 
zens of  Hartford. 

FIRST    PUBLIC    APPEARANCE. 

The  Phalanx  made  its  first  public 
appearance  as  a  military  organization 
December  22,   1858,  when     a     street 


CAPT.   H.   B.    PHILBRICK. 
Chief  of  Staff  Putnam  Pralanx. 


parade  was  given.  No  uniforms  had 
been  selected  at  that  time  and  the 
members  appeared  in  uniforms  loaned 
by  the  Amoskeag  veteran.?.  Major 
Goodwin  commanded  and  N.  Sey- 
mour V/ebb  acted  as  adjutant.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  parade,  which 
had  been  one  of  picturesque  interest, 
owing  to  the  continental  uniforms 
and  maneuvers,  the  Phalanx  received 
from  the  descendants  of  General  Put- 
nam an  appropriate  standard,  bear- 
ing a  likeness  of  the  hero  and  the  in- 
scription: "He  dared  to  lead  where 
any   dared   to   follow." 

The  second  appearance  of  the  bat- 
talion took  place  June  2,  1859.  The 
members  had  secured  their  own  uni- 
forms and  paraded  in  them  for     the 


first  time  on  that  date.  The  Legisla- 
ture was  in  session  in  the  old  State' 
house  on  Main  street,  now  the  City 
hall,  on  the  day  of  the  parade  and 
witnessed  the  column  in  line.  The 
effect  of  the  new  uniforms  and  the 
battalion  maneuvers  was  so  pleasing 
that  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  the- 
General  Assembly  highly  compli- 
menting the  officers  and  men.  Judge 
Hiram  Willey  of  Hartford  is  the  only 
member  of  the  Senate  of  that  year 
now  living.  Julius  Catlin,  the  lieu- 
tenant governor  and  Colonel  Henry 
C.  Deming,  members  of  the  House 
from  Hartford,  were  members  of  t!ie 
battalion    at    the    time- 

The  Meriden  member  of  ':he  House 
was  William  W.  Lyman.  Augu.-^'tns 
Brandegee,    father    of    United    States 


S.    B.    BOSWORTH, 
Staff  Putnam  Phalanx. 

Senator  Brandegee,  was  in  the  House 
from  New  London  and  Jeremiah 
Halsey  and  James  A.  Hovey  from 
Norwich.  Oliver  H.  Perry  of  Fair- 
field, father  of  Judge  John  H.  Perry, 
was  the  speaker.  This  Legislative 
recognition  was  highly  valued  by  the- 
Phalanx. 


270 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


GOV.    SEYMOUR  S   RECEPTION. 

The  reception  of  Governor  Thomas 
11  Seymour  for  which  the  ''ha^anx 
was  organized  at  ihe  oiitser.  toolc 
place  August  30,  185.S.  In  this  event 
the  battalion  won  laurels  of  perpet- 
ual worth.  The  tribute  laid  by  the 
command  at  the  feet  of  the  Mexican 


WM     J     M'COXVTLLE, 
Asst.  Paymaster  Putnam  Phalanx. 

warrior,  governor  of  the  state  and 
minister  from  the  United  Stales  to 
Russia,  was  one  which  Governor 
Seymour  regarded  with  the  highest 
appreciation  through  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

FIRST    GREAT     PILGRIMAGE. 

The  first  great  pilgrimage  of  the 
Phalanx  included  a  visit  at  Bunker 
Hill,  where  Judge  Advocate  Stuart,  in 
a  speech  concerning  the  battle,  June 
17,  1776,  astonished  the  men  of  Mas- 
sachusetts by  his  knowledge  of  the 
details  of  the  engagement.  He  knew 
every  inch  of  the  grouna  at  Bunker 
Hill  and  the  services  rendered  there 
by  General  Putnam.  The  Phalanx  left 
Hartford  on  this  pilgrimage  on  xues- 
day,  October  4,   1859,  under  command 


of  Major  Goodwin.  Joseph  D.  Wil- 
liams, who  was  Governor  Bucking- 
ham's war  adjutant  general,  was  ad- 
jutant of  the  battalion,  but  was  not 
able  to  take  part  in  the  pilgrimage. 
His  place  was  filled  for  the  time  be- 
ing by  General  Lloyd  E.  Baldwin. 
Henry  C.  Deming,  wno  was  colonel 
of  the  Twelfth  Connecticut  in  the 
Civil  wai,  resigning  his  office  as 
maj  01  ot  Harttord  to  accept  the 
fommand  of  that  regiment,  was  on 
Alajoi  Goodwin's  staff  The  Rev. 
Asher  Moore,  war  chaplain,  Allyn  S. 
Stillman  and  Timothy  M  Allyn,  both 
afterwards  majors  ot  Harttord,  were 
officeis  in  the  First  company  ot  the 
battalion  O.  D  Seymour,  who  was 
tor  J  ears  sheriff  of  Hartford   county, 


REV.  ROCKWELL  H.  POTTER, 
Chaplain  Putnam  Phalanx. 

was  the  first  lieutenant  of  the  Second 
company.  Colonel  Colt  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Color  Guard.  In  the  ranks 
were  scores  of  business  and  profess- 
ional men  of  Hartford,  including  lieu- 
tenant Governor  Catlin,  Leverett 
Brainard  and  James  LocKWood,  of  the 
publishing  house  of  Case,     Lockwood 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


271 


&  Brainard  Daniel  Phillips,  John  M. 
Gross,  Henry  Kennedy,  Nelson  C. 
Hinckley,  Oliver  Parish,  Stiles  D. 
Sperry,  E.  D.  Tiffany,  E.  N.  Kellogg 
and  Gurdon  Robins. 

The  only  men  of  the  rank     and  file 
taking   part    in    the    Bunker   Hill    pll- 


JLDGE  A.   C.   BILL, 
Lieut.  Putnam  Phalanx. 

grimage,  who  are  still  living,  are  H. 
B.  Beach,  Hiram  Bissell,  Wm.  F.  J. 
Boardman,  Pliny  Jewell,  ex-Mayor 
John  G.  Root,  president  of  the  Farm- 
ers and  Mechanics'  National  bank, 
ex-Director  and  Governor  George  G. 
Sill  and  Wm.  F.  Whittlesey.  With 
the  exception  of  ex-Mayor  Root  each 
one  of  the  survivors  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  eighty  years  of  age. 

The  honorary  members  of  the  bat- 
talion at  the  time  of  the  Bunker  Hill 
visit  included  the  Ho*i.  a.  E.  Burr, 
George  Brinley,  ex-Congressman 
Ezra  Clark,  father  of  Charles  Hopkins 
Clark,  George  H.  Clark,  the  poet, 
James  M.  Goodwin,  Solomon  Porter, 
Wm.  James  Hamersley,  father  of 
Judge     Hamersley     of     the     Supreme 


court,  Henry  Keney  ana  C.  H.  North- 
am.  Only  one  of  the  list  of  honorary 
members  in  1858  remains.  Colonel 
David  A.  Rood,  of  Hartford,  who  is 
considerably  past  eighty.  The  Pha- 
lanx received  ovations  in  Boston  and 
Cambridge.  At  the  residence  of  Ed- 
ward Everett  on  Summer  street  m 
Boston  the  battalion  was  addressed 
by  that  distinguished  orator,  and  the 
response  was  made  by  Connecticut's 
foremost  orator,  Isaac  W.  Stuart.  The 
scene  was  a  proud  one  in  the  history 
of  the  Phalanx. 

At  Bunker  Hill  speecnes  of  mem- 
orable interest  and  value  were  made 
by  Judge  Advocate  Stuart  and  Henry 
C.  Deming,  who  ranked  next  to  Stuart 


HENRY  F.   SMITH, 
Capt.  and  Adjt.  Putnam  Phalanx. 

in  the  art  of  oratory.  While  in  Bos- 
ton the  Phalanx  was  brilliantly  en- 
tertained at  the  home  of  one  of  its 
members,  Oliver  Ellsworth,  of  Somer- 
set street.  The  pilgrimage  was  ex- 
tended into  Rhode  Island,  where  the 
splendid  reception  that  had  been  giv- 
en in  Massachusetts  was  duplicated. 


272 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


VISIT   TO    MT.   VERNON. 

The  second  pilgrimage  made  by  the 
Phalanx  embraced  a  visit  at  Mount 
"Vernon,  where  the  tomb  of  Washing- 
ton is  a  mecca  for  the  American  peo- 
ple. The  visit  took  place  during  the 
first  week  in  December,  1860,  a  few 
months  before  the  Civil  war  was  in- 
augurated. The  event  lacked  the  in- 
terest and  spirit  that  attended  the 
Bunker  Hill  demonstration,  the  politi- 
cal disturbances  of  the  time  being  an 
embarrassment.     On   the   return   from 


Goodwin  occurred  May  14,  1864.  The 
funeral  of  Major  Goodwin  was  attend- 
ed by  the  Phalanx  in  a  body.  The 
loss  of  both  of  these  notable  members 
of  'he  command  was  Keenly  felt.  Al- 
lyn  S.  Stillman  was  elected  Major 
Goodwin's  successor,  and  held  the 
office  with  honor  and  distinction. 

INAUGURAL    PARADES. 

In  May,  1862,  the  battalion  took  part 
in  the  inaugural  parade  at  New  Haven 
in  honor  of  Governor  Buckingham. 
This  was  the  first  appearance  of  the 


PALACE  BLOCK,  SHOWING  DECORATIONS. 


Mount  Vernon  and  Washington  the 
battalion  was  received  in  Baltimore 
by  the  Baltimore  City  Guard.  There 
was  no  premonition  then  of  the  scenes 
of  blood.shed  that  were  so  fast  making 
headway.  The  Baltimore  men  left 
nothing  undone  that  could  make  the 
visit   a   military   success. 

During  the  Civil  war  period  there 
were  not  many  events  signalizing  the 
history  of  the  battalion. 

Judge  Advocate  Stuart  died  October 
5,  1861,  and  the  death  of  Major  Horace 


Phalanx  in  an  "election  day"  occur- 
rence. The  next  time  it  was  at  New 
Haven  on  "election  day"  was  May  4, 
1870,  when  the  Hon.  James  E.  Eng- 
lish, of  that  city,  was  inaugurated. 

The  statue  of  General  Putnam  on 
Bushnell  park  in  Hartford  was  un- 
veiled June  17,  1874.  The  Phalanx 
took  an  active  part  in  the  ceremonies 
under  Major  Henry  Kennedy.  The 
centennial  of  the  battle  of  Benning- 
ton, Vt.,  was  celebrated  August  18, 
1877,  the  Phalanx  being  prominent  in 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


273 


the  military  pageant,  that  attended 
the  ceremonies.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  the  Phalanx  furnished  an  escort 
for  President  Hayes.  Two  years  be- 
fore this  the  battalion  had  been  a 
participant  in  the  centennial  celebra- 
tion of  the  battle  of  Concord,  Mass., 
the  event  taking  place  April  18,  j.875. 


-^ 

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w 

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f 

M 

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4  4-"'  ^"^w   d^^Hl^teb 

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^^^^^^^^^BP^^ 

O.  H.  BLANCH ARD, 
Past  Major  Putnam  Phalanx. 

The  Nathan  Hale  monument  in 
South  Coventry  was  visited  by  the 
battalion,  June  17,  1879.  The  oration 
commemorating  the  life  and  heroism 
of  Captain  Hale  was  delivered  by  Gen- 
eral Charles  M.  Joslyn,  judge  advo- 
cate at  that  time,  and  was  a  masterly 
analysis.  Its  eloquence  is  remem- 
bered by  the  Phalanx  to  this  day. 

In  1888,  June  17,  the  equestrian 
statue  of  General  Putnam  was  dedi- 
cated in  Brooklyn,  the  Phalanx  par- 
ticipating in  the  dedication  under 
Mayor  Joseph  earner.  The  idea  of 
erecting  a  suitable  memorial  at  the 
tomb  of  General  Putnam  was  formu- 
lated, June  17,  1860,  while  the  Pha- 
lanx    was     having     its    field     day   in 

18 


Brooklyn.  A  committee  of  the  bat- 
talion was  appointed  to  take  the  pro- 
ject in  charge.  The  members  of  this 
committee  included  Thomas  H.  Se>»' 
mour,  Isaac  W.  Stuart,  Henry  C. 
Deming,  T.  M.  Allyn,  E.  N.  Kellogg 
and  Oliver  Ellsworth.  But  the  Civil 
war  coming  on,  there  was  a  general 
suspension  of  interest  in  the  monu- 
ment. The  dedication  of  the  statue, 
which  was  provided  for  by  legislative 
appropriation  and  the  generosity  of 
citizens  of  Brooklyn,  was  an  event  of 
great  importance  in  the  Phalanx  his- 
tory. 

VISITED     PHILADELPHIA,      1876. 

The  battalion  visited  the  Centennial 
fair  in  Philadelphia  in  1876  and  was 
in  Atlanta,     Ga.,     the  last  of  the     fall 


DR.  HENRY  BICKFORD, 
Past  Major  Putnam  Phalanx. 

months  in  1895.  It  visited  the  Nash- 
ville Centennial  in  October,  1897.  On 
the  way  back,  October  16,  it  was  in 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  received 
in  the  White  House  by  President  Mc- 
Kinley.  Every  member  of  the  battal- 
ion was  personally    introduced    to  the 


274 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


President.  One  of  the  interesting 
events  which  the  Phalanx  has  partici- 
pated in  in  New  Hampshire,  was  the 
dedication  of  a  city  park  in  Manches- 
ter in  honor  of  John  Stark.  This  oc- 
curred June  17,  1893.  There  has  been 
from  the  beginning  a  genuine  friend- 
ship between  the  Amoskeag  veterans 
of  Manchester  and  the  Phalanx.  The 
two  commands  with  the  Worcester 
Continentals  have  not  infrequently 
met  on  common  grounds  for  annual 
festivities. 

VISIT  TO    MERIDEN   IN    1865. 

The  first  visit  made  by  the  Phalanx 
in  Meriden  occurred  July  4,  1865,  un- 
der Major  T.  M.  Allyn.  It  came  to 
this  city  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  in 
a  public  Fourth  of  July  celebration. 
That  was  forty-one  years  ago.  The 
development  of  Meriden  in  that  pe- 
riod would  be  astounding  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Phalanx  .visitors  of  that  July 
day  in  1865  could  they  but  return  this 
June  afternoon  of  1906.  The  second 
visit  of  the  battalion  here  was  on  the 
occasion  of  a  target  shoot,  October  16, 
1885.  A  reception  was  given  the  mem- 
bers by  United  States  Senator  O.  H. 
Piatt,  followed  by  a  dinner  at  the 
Winthrop.  Twice  since  1897  the  bat- 
talion has  had  its  annual  target  shoot 
in  this  city. 

OCCUPIED    THREE    ARMORIES. 

The  battalion  has  had  three  armor- 
ies since  its  organization.  The  first 
one  was  in  the  Union  hall  building,  oc- 
cupying the  site  of  the  present  Con- 
necticut Mutual  Life  building.  It 
was  occupied  for  the  first  time  Febru- 
ary 21,  1860.  The  second  armory  was 
in  the  Hammersley  building  on  Main 
street,  where  the  battalion  remained 
for  many  years.  The  present  armory 
at  the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Haynes 
streets  was  built  expressly  for  the 
Phalanx,  and  is  handsomely  equipped. 
The  annual  meetings  of  the  battalion, 
which  take  place  February  22,  Wash- 
ington's birthday,  are  occasions  of  un- 
paralleled interest  in  military  centers 
in   Hartford. 

SEVENTEEN     COMMANDERS. 

The  Phalanx  has  had  seventeen 
commanders  since  it  was  organized  in 
1858.  These  have  been  majors:  Hor- 
ace Goodwin,  Allyn  S.  Stillman,  James 
B.  Shultas,  T.  M.  Allyn,  Charles  C. 
Burt,  Seth  E.  Marsh,  Henry  Kennedy, 


H.  J.  Welch,  Freeman  M.  Brown,  Al- 
vin  Squires,  Clayton  H.  Case,  Joseph 
Warner,  O.  H.  Blanchard,  Henry 
Bickford,  M.  D.,  J.  N.  Shedd,  Charles 
B.  Andrus,  and  Edward  Mahl,  the 
present  incumbent  of  the  office. 

There  are  five  past  majors  living  at 
the  present  time.  They  are  Clayton 
H.  Case,  O.  H.  Blanchard,  Henry  Bick- 
ford, J.  N.  Shedd  and  Charles  B. 
Andrus.  Major  Case  was  first  elected 
February  4,  1885.  He  was  in  the 
Tenth  Connecticut  through  the  Civil 
war  and  afterwards  served  in  the  reg- 
ular army  on  the  Plains  in  Indian  war- 
fare. He  is  a  member  of  Robert  O. 
Tyler  post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  of  the  Army 
and  Navy  club  of  Connecticut.  He 
was  on  the  staff  of  Governor  L.  A. 
Cooke  of  whom  he  was  the  brother-in- 
law.  This  gave  him  the  rank  of  col- 
onel. He  has  been  engaged  in  the 
jewelry  business  in  Hartford  upwards 
of  thirty  years  and  is  at  the  head  of 
one  of  the  largest  jewelry  houses  in 
the  state.  Colonel  Case  is  a  member 
of  Washington  commandery.  Knights 
Templar  of  Hartford. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 

Past  Major  O.  H.  Blanchard  was 
elected  February  1,  1889.  He  has 
been  a  resident  of  Hartford  since  1856 
and  is  one  of  the  old  time  business 
men  of  the  city.  The  coffee  and  spice 
trade  has  commanded  his  attention 
most  of  his  life.  He  is  a  Knight  Tern 
plar  and  a  man  of  superior  citizen- 
ship. 

Past  Major  Henry  Bickford  was  in 
the  Civil  war  and  is  a  member  of 
Robert  O.  Tyler  post.  He  has  been 
president  of  the  Connecticut  Eclectic 
Medical  association  and  is  a  member 
of  the  examining  committee  of  the 
association,  appointed  under  the  gen- 
eral statutes.  He  was  first  elected' 
major  February  22,  1896  and  held  the 
office  until  February  22,  1898,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  J.  N.  Shedd.  Past 
Major  Shedd  is  engaged  in  the  truck- 
ing business  and  is  at  the  head  of  the 
firm  of  Shedd  &  Coaksley.  He  was 
major  for  two  years  and  was  succeed- 
ed February  22,  1900,  by  Charles  B. 
Andrus,  who  held  the  office  imtil  last 
February. 

Past  Major  Andrus  is  one  of  the 
largest  building  contractors  in  Hart- 
ford and  a  man  of  ample  means.  Dur- 
ing  his      administration    the    member- 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


275 


ship  of  the  battalion  was  materially  in- 
creased and  its  scope  of  activities 
enlarged.  Major  Andrus  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  city  affairs  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Fire  commissioners.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Washington  commandery, 
Knights   Templar  and   of  Sphinx  tem- 


J.   N.   SlIKDD, 
Past  Major  Putnam  Phalanx 

pie,  order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He 
made  one  of  the  most  popular  com- 
mandants that  the  Phalanx  has  had. 
His  staff  selections  were  of  a  high 
order,  and  the  e.'^prit-de-corps  of  the 
command  was  unsurpassed  by  that 
dominating  National  Guard  circles  in 
the  city.  Major  Mahl,  the  new  com- 
mandant, has  taken  the  r>ommand  in 
a  high  state  of  discipline  and  military 
attainment.  He  has  retained  practi- 
cally all  of  the  staff  officers,  who  were 
appointed  by  his  predecessor.  This 
is  the  first  time  that  the  battalion 
has  appeared  under  Major  Mahl  and 
the  visit  here  has  been  anticipated 
for  weeks  by  the  command. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  166 
active  members  in  the  organization; 
30  veterans,  19  associate  and  18  hon- 


orary members.  The  veteran  corps 
includes  Dr.  P.  D.  Peltier,  who  was 
surgeon  of  the  battalion  a  number  of 
years,  ex-Fire  Commissioner  Henry 
Kohn,  Wm.  F.  J.  Boardman,  Ariel 
Mitchelson,  jr.,  of  Tariffville,  ex-Mayor 
Miles  B.  Preston,  Colonel  Herman  A. 
Tyler,  R.  P.  Kenyon  and  George  H. 
Woolley. 

HONORARY      MEMBERS. 

The  honorary  members  of  the  Pha- 
lanx are: 

S.  M.  Bronson,  Hartford;  Hon.  M.  G. 
Bulkeley,  Hartford ;  Major  J.  F.  Burke, 
Atlanta,  Ga.;  Hon.  W.  L.  Calhoun, 
Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Samuel  L.  Clemens, 
New  York;  Hon.  Abiram  Chamberlain, 
Meriden;  Rev.  J.  F.  Gleason,  Norfolk; 
Hon.  A.  R.  Goodrich,  Vernon  Depot, 
Hartford;  Norman  L.  Hope,  Hartford; 


CHARLES   B.  ANDRUS, 
Past  Major  Putnam  Phalanx. 

Hon.  John  F.  Jones,  Blacksburg,  S.  C. ; 
Samuel  A.  Moore,  New  Britain;  Theo- 
dore I.  Pease,  Springfield,  Mass.; 
Hon.  John  G.  Root,  Hartford:  Hon.  A. 
J.  Sloper,  New  Britain;  H.  T.  Sperry, 
Hartford;  Hon.  Nicholas  Staub,  New 
Milford;     Hon.     George     G.     Sumner, 


276 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Hartford,  and     Rev.     J.     K.  Wheeler, 
Camden,   N.  J. 

This  list  includes  the  names  of 
Former  Gov.  Abiram  Chamberlain,  of 
Meriden;  United  States  Senator  Mor- 
gan G.  Bulkeley,  and  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor George  G.  Sumner,  men  of  de- 
served prominence  in  public  and  busi- 
ness life;  Mayor  William  F.  Henney, 
of  Hartford,  Governor  Henry  Roberts, 
Lieutenant  Governor  Rollin  S.  Wood- 
ruff, United  States  Attorney  Francis 
H.  Parker,  W.  0.  Burr,  and  Rufus  H. 
Jackson,  of  the  Hartford  Times, 
Charles    E.    Billings,    president   of   the 


Barrett,  Thomas,  Hartford. 
Bassett,  Samuel,  New  Britain. 
Bell,  E.  I.,  Portland. 
Bell,  H.  C,  Portland. 
Benjamin,  Scott  R.,  Hartford. 
Bement,  Edward  N.,  Hartford. 
Bickford,   Dr.  Henry,  Hartford. 
Birmingham,  Joseph  M.,  Hartford. 
Bigelow,  E.  C.,  Hartford. 
Bill,  Judge  Albert  C,  Hartford. 
Bosworth,  Stanley  B.,  Hartford. 
Bowers,  William  H.,  Hartford. 
Brandegee,  W.   S.,   Berlin. 
Budde.  A.  W.,  Hartford. 
Brewer,  B.  Z.,  Hartford. 


OFFICE  BUILDING,  H.  WALES  LINES  CO. 


Billings  &  Spencer  company,  and  Isaac 
A.  Allen,  jr.,  are  among  the  associate 
members. 

LIST  OF  ACTIVE  MEMBERS. 

The  list  of  actives  is  as  follows: 
Adams,  Dr.  Henry  E..  Hartford. 
Alexander,  Samuel,  Hartford. 
Allen,  James  P.,   Hartford. 
Allen,  George   H.,  Hartford. 
Allen,  F.  N.,  Hartford. 
Allen,  John  W.,  New  Britain. 
Allen,  Norman  F.,  Hartford. 
Andrus,  Charles  B.,   Hartford. 
Bailey,  William,  jr.,  Hartford. 


Balf,  Edward,  Hartford. 
Brott,  George  0.,  Hartford. 
Brunner,  Dr.  C.  W.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Callinan,  D.  J.,  East  Hartford. 
Caulkins,  W.  E.,  Hartford. 
Clarke,   Sidney   E.,   Hartford. 
Clark,  Roscoe  N.,  Hartford. 
Coburn,  Lemuel  J.,  New  Britain. 
Conrad,  Philip,  Hartford. 
Copeland,  J.  C,  Hartford. 
Corbin,  Frank  H.,  New  Britain. 
Coulter,  W.  O.,  Saybrook. 
Crane,  Charles  E.,  Hartford. 
Crandall,  S.  Ashbell.  Norwich. 
Crawley,   William   H.,   Hartford. 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


277 


Crilly,  John  A.,  Hartford. 
Davison,  Dr.  Luther  A.,  Hartford. 
Decker,  J.  A.,  Hartford. 
Dewey,  William  A.,  New  Britain. 
Dexter,   J.   Allen,   Norwich. 
Dunn,  Daniel  P.,  Willimantic. 
Dwyer,  William  S.,  Hartford. 
Eddy,  Horace  W.,  New  Britain. 
Ensign,  F.  H.,  Silver  Laiie. 


CLAYTON  H.  CASE, 
Past  Major  Putnam  Phalanx. 

Pilley,  W.  H.,  Windsor. 
Forbes,  Walter,  East  Hartford. 
H.  P.  Fox,  Hartford. 
Fox,  H.  W.,  Hartford. 
Furrey,  Ervin  L.,  Hartford. 
Gates,  William  E.,  Glastonbury. 
Goodfellow,  William  H.,  Hartford. 
Gowen,  Joseph  H.,  Hartford. 
Griswold,  Dr.  R.  M.,  Hartford. 
Hale,  Wallace  L.,  Glastonbury. 
Hall,  Benjamin,   Norwich. 
Hamill,  James,  Glastonbury. 
Hammitt,  E.  Baldwin,  Hartford. 
Hansling,  Philip,  jr.,  Hartford. 
Harbison,  Alexander,  Hartford. 
Heins,  Frank  W.,  Hartford. 
Henderson,  Joseph  H.,  Norwich. 
Hodgdon,  George  R.,  Hartford. 
House,  Isaac  C,  Glastonbury. 


Howe,  Louis  W.,  South  Glastonbury. 
Huntsinger,  E.  M.,  Hartford. 
Hurlbut,  E.  G.,  New  Britain. 
James,  William  E.,  East  Hartford. 
Johnson,  Charles  L.,  Hartford. 
Johnson,  Frederick  G.,  Hartford. 
Johnson,  Frank  H.,  New  Britain. 
Kenyon,  E.  A.,  Hartford. 
Keyes,  Charles  H.,  Hartford. 
King,  Henry  T.,  Meriden. 
Kinne,  Henry  A.,  South  Glastonbury. 
Landon,  Frank  H.,  Hartford. 
Lane,   RoUin   D.,   Hartford. 
Latham,  C.  H.,  Hartford. 
Lewis,  Ira  F.,  Jewett  City. 
Lincoln,  James  C,  Berlin. 
Lindberg,  Otto  W.,  Norwich. 
Loveland,  C.  S.,  Glastonbury. 
Lucas,  Elmer  E.,  Hartford. 
Lyon,   Felix,   Hartford. 
Mahl,  Edward,  Hartford. 
Malcom,  Thomas,  Hartford. 


JOHN   W.   TITCOMB. 
Asst.  Commissary  Putnam  Phalanx. 

Maslen,  Stephen.  Hartford. 
Merrill,  A.  H.,   Hartford. 
Miller,  David  H.,  Georgetown. 
Morgan,  Nathaniel  K.,  Hartford. 
Morrison,  F.   B.,  Thompsonville. 
Muller,  Louis  J.,  New  Britain. 
McConville,  William  J.,  Hartford. 


278 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Mclntyre,  Archibald,  Hartford. 
McMillan,  D.,  New  Britain. 
Naylor,  Dr.  J.  H.,  Hartford. 
Newton,  J.  L.,  South  Windsor. 
Oldershaw,  A.  H.,  New  Britain. 
Oldershaw,  F.  jn.,  New  Britain. 
Peck,  Rial  S.,  Hartford. 
Penfield,  Loren  D.,  New  Britain. 
Philbrick,  H.  B.,  Hartford. 
Phillips,  John  W.,  Hartford. 
Pinches,  John,  New  Britain. 
Pitt,  John  R.,  Middletown. 
Porter,  E.  J.,  New  Britain. 
Porteus,  Robert,  Hartford, 
Preston,  C.  H.,  Norwich. 
Preston,  E.  M.,  Rockville. 
Prutting,  George,  jr.,  Hartford. 
Reid,  James  W.,  Hartford. 
Rice,  Willard  A.,  Hartford.  , 

Richards,   F.   H.,   Hartford. 
Riley,    Stanley,   J.,   Hartford. 
Rockwell,  Albert  F.,  Bristol. 
Rodgers,  F.  W.,  Hartford. 
Rogers,  Noah,  jr.,  Norwich. 
Rogers,  Frederick,  Hartford. 
Rollins,  R.  F.,  Hartford. 
Root,  Dr.  J.  E.,  Hartford. 
Ropkins,  E.  I.,  Hartford. 
Rowley,  Edward  W.,  Hartford. 
Scailes,  George  W.,  Hartford. 
Schmidt,  Emil,  Hartford. 
Schierholz,  Emil,  Hartford. 
Seide,   David,   Hartford. 
Semple,  James  W.,  Norwich. 
Shea,  John  D.,  Hartford. 
Shedd,  J.  N.,  Hartford. 
Sherman,  R.  W.,  Hartford. 
Simmons,  W.  G.,  Hartford. 
Simpson.  E.  L.,  Kensington. 
Smith,  Charles  M.,  East  Hartford. 
Smith,  Henry  F.,  Hartford. 
Smith,  Thomas  C,  New  Britain. 
Steele,  Howard  M.,  New  Britain. 
Street,  Joseph,  Hartford. 
Stuart,  William,  Hartford. 
Sullivan,  J.  0.,  Willimantic. 
Svenson,    Charles,    Hartford. 
Talcott,  Clinton,  0.,  Glastonbury. 
Taussig,  Charles,  Hartford. 
Taylor,  Peter,  Hartford. 
Thompson,  E.  U.,  New  Britain. 
Thompson,  A.  L.,  New  Britain. 
Titcomb,  J.  W.,  Hartford. 
Towers,  Joseph.  New  Britain. 
Traut,  George  W.,  New  Britain. 
Tryon,  Louis  C,  South  Glastonbury. 
Vogelgesang,  P.  R.,  New  Britain. 
Wakefield,  Walter  L.,  Hartford. 
Waldo,  Harold  B.,  Glastonbury. 
Walsh,  John,  New  Britain. 
Warner,  Arthur  D.,  Woodbury. 


Warner,  Fred  W.,  Hartford. 
Washburn,  A.   L.,  Hartford. 
Katers,  Dr.  John  B.,  Hartford. 
Watson,  Alexander,  Hartford. 
Weir,  Leverett  A.,  East  Glastonbury. 
Weldon,  Dr.   T.   H.,  So.   Manchester. 
Wilson,  Arthur  M.,  Hartford. 
Woodworth,  Frank  H.,  Norwich. 
Yates,  Erton  P.,  Hartford. 
Young,  E.  S.,  Hartford. 

BRILLIANT    ORATORS. 

The  judge  advocates  of  the  Phalanx 
staff  have  been  men  of  oratorical  bril- 
liancy from  the  outset.  Ex-Governor 
George  P.  McLean  was  judge  advocate 
under  Major  C.  H.  Case  and  was  a  flit- 
ting successor  in  the  line  from  Isaac 
W.  Stewart.  As  judge  advocate  he 
possessed  the  same  charm  of  expres- 
sion and  eloquence  that  have  signal- 
ized his  public  addresses  in  recent 
years.  General  Charles  M.  Joslyn  pre- 
ceded Governor  McLean  in  the  office  of 
judge  advocate  and  was  an  elegant 
master  of  the  art  of  public  speaking. 
There  is  a  wealth  of  oratory  in  the 
Phalanx. 

One  of  the  brilliant  speakers  in  the 
organization,  perhaps  the  most  bril- 
liant, is  the  chaplain,  the  Rev.  Rock- 
well Harmon  Potter,  pastor  of  the 
Center  church,  which  was  founded  by 
Thomas  Hooker,  holds  the  position  of 
chaplain  on  the  staff.  He  is  without 
doubt  the  most  gifted  pulpit  orator  in 
the  state,  preaching  always  without 
notes  and  holding  his  audiences  spell- 
bound from  the  beginning  to  the  end 
of  his  sermon.  He  was  born  in 
Glenville,  Schenectady  county,  N.  Y., 
in  1874  and  was  hardly  past  twenty- 
six  years  of  age,  when  he  was  settled 
as  pastor  of  the  Center  church,  Octob- 
er 3,  1900.  He  graduated 'from  Union 
college  in  1895  and  became  pastor  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church  in  Flush- 
ing,, L.  I.,  in  1898.  He  was  born  and 
grew  up  on  a  farm  and  has  brought  to 
his  work  the  strength  and  vigor  of 
country  life.  Chaplain  Potter  is  an 
ideal  speaker  in  his  pulpit  and  out. 
The  Honorary  corps  of  the  Battalion 
has  on  its  roll  a  name  that  has  long 
been  recognized  as  an  exponent  of 
Connecticut  oratory. 

Ex-Lieutenant  Governor  George  G. 
Sumner  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
and  graceful  public  speakers  in  the 
state.  He  has  the  charm  and  felicity 
of     utterance     that     made     Governor 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


279 


Thomas  H.  Seymour  the  idol  of  public 
assemblies.  It  is  unnecessary  to 
trace  their  lives  longer.  The  home  of 
eloquence  for  well  nigh  half  a  century 
has  been  in  the  Putnam  Phalanx. 

Judge  William  J.  McConville,  assist- 
ant paymaster  on  the  staff  was  elected 
judge  of  the  Police  court  in  Hartford 


A.  M.  WILSON. 
Quartermaster   Putnam   Phalanx. 

in  1889,  while  he  was  clerk  of  the  state 
Senate.  He  was  city  attorney  six  years 
and  has  been  in  public  service  through 
a  long  period.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest 
members  of  the  Governor's  Foot  Guard 
and  belongs  to  Washington  command- 
ery,  Knights  Templar.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Center  church  of  which 
Chaplain  Potter  is  the  pastor. 

Lieutenant  Albert  C.  Bill,  engineer 
on  the  staff,  is  of  the  law  firm  of  Bill 
&  Tuttle.  He  has  been  judge  of  the 
Popile  court  and  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  the  bar.  Judge  Bill  has  served 
in  the  Governor's  Foot  Guard  and  on 
the  staff  of  the  First  regiment.  C.  N. 
G.  He  is  a  staff  officer  of  high  at- 
tainments. 

Commissary  Stanley  B.  Bosworth  is 
one   of  the  foremost  members   of  the 


Masonic  order  in  Hartford  and  is  at 
the  head  of  Sphinx  Temple,  Order  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  has  served  in 
both  branches  of  the  city  government 
and  is  an  active  business  manager. 
The  assistant  engineer,  Stephen  Mas- 
len,  has  been  on  the  staff  for  a  number 
of  years,  being  originally  appointed  by 
Major  Andrus.  He  is  at  the  head  of 
the  Stephen  Maslen  Monument  works, 
the  largest  in  Hartford.  Lieutenant 
Maslen  is  a  Knights  Templar  and  a 
man  of  recognized  ability  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  Hartford.  He  has  held  an 
interesting  place  in  musical  circles,  be- 
ing a  singer  of  superior  merit. 

Paymaster  Alexander  Harbison  has 
been  the  mayor  of  Hartford,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  off-hand  speakers  in  the 
battalion.      Edward  Balf,  the  success- 


LIEUT.   STEPHEN  MASLEM, 
Putnam  Phalanx  Staff. 

ful  contractor  for  state  and  city  en- 
terprises, is  the  standard  bearer  on  the 
non-commissioned  staff  and  H.  P.  Fox 
of  the  firm  of  Simons  &  Fox,  is  the 
sergeant  major.  He  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war  and  a  past  commander 
of  Robert  O.  Tyler  post.  The  wife  of 
Sergeant  Major  Fox     has  the     official 


28o 


CKNTEXNIAL   OF  MERIDEN. 


decorations     for     the    Centennial     in 
charge. 

There  are  three  civic  officers  in  the 
Battalion.  The  clerkship  is  held  by 
E.  W.  Rowley,  president  and  treasurer 
of  the  Calhoun  Printing  company,  Wil- 
liam S.  Dwyer,  of  the  First  National 
bank  is  the  treasurer  and,  Sidney  E. 
Clarke  is  the  historian.  James  P.  Al- 
len, who  has  been  in  both  boards  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Council,  is  the 
captain  of  the  First  company,  and  E. 
B.  Bigelow,  of  the  Second.  The  rank 
and  file  of  the  battalion  stand  for  good 


CHARLES    H.    KEYES, 
Judge  Advocate  Putnam  Phalanx. 

citizenship  and  high  civic  standards. 
From  the  beginning  of  its  career  it  has 
been  an  honor  to  belong  to  the  Pha- 
lanx. 

The  General  Assembly  has  given  the 
Putnam  Phalanx  an  official  military 
character  by  the  adoption  of  enact- 
ments concerning  its  interests.  One 
statute  requires  the  governor's  approv- 
al of  the  election  of  major.  March  16, 
1897,  a  resolution  was  passed  by  the 
General  Assembly  giving  the  Battalion 
the  right  to  carry  state  arms.  It  has 
a  full  complement   of  breech   loading. 


flint  lock  muskets  that  were  owned  by 
the  United  States  government  one 
hundred  years  ago.  These  ancient 
breech  loaders  are  taken  out  only  on 
set  occasions.  The  old  Springfield  is 
the  common  arm  of  the  battalion. 

MAJOR    MAHL. 

Major  Mahl  has  been  an  influential 
business  man  in  Hartford  foi  twenty- 
five  years  and  is  actively  identified 
with  Knight  Templars  and  political 
interests  in  the  city-  He  is  a  past 
eminent  commander  of  Washington 
commandery  and  has  been  a  member 
of  both  boards  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Council.  He  has  also  l.-een  a 
member  of  the  Police  commission  in 
Hartford.  Major  Mahl  was  bor^  in 
Norwich,  Christmas  day,  1886.  Since- 
185  9  he  has  lived  in  Hartford,  ineet- 
ing  with  success  in  every  enterprise 
that  has  commanded  his  attention.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  the  First  com- 
pany, Governor's  Foot  Guard,  a  di.¥- 
tinction  that  is  possessed  by  several 
members  of  his  staff,  including  Judge 
William  J.  McConville  and  Judge  Al- 
bert C.  Bill.  Major  Mahl  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  South  Baptist  church  in 
Hartford,  where  he  is  held  in  the 
highest  personal  regard. 

HENRY   F.    SMITH. 

The  adjutant  of  the  battalion, 
Henry  F.  Smith,  is  th3  town  and  city 
clerk  of  Hartford  and  one  of  the 
town's  most  popular  citi:;en3.  At  the 
last  city  election  he  shov/ed  notable 
elements  of  strength,  receiving  nearly 
the  whole  German  vov.o  in  the  city. 
He  is  of  German  descenc  and  has 
complete  mastery  of  his  language. 
As  a  public  official  Adjutant  Sjnith  is 
a  model  of  courtesy  and  uprighlnes.s. 
Ho  has  been  in  office  so  long  that  the 
I:k11s  of  Record  in  H.xitford  would 
ieem  strange  without  him.  He  has 
been  on  the  Phalanx  staff  some  ten 
years  in  al-  He  was  the  first  reap- 
pointment made  by  Major  Man! 
after   his    election    in    February. 

H.    B.    PHILBRICK. 

The  chief  of  staff,  H.  3.  Philbrick, 
is,  like  the  major,  a  past  eminent 
cummander  of  Washington  com- 
nuindery  and  has  won  raiu-h  distinct- 
ion in  Connecticut  Knight  Templnr- 
isrn.  He  wa.';  a  membi^r  of  the  Fifly- 
v.econd  Massachusetts  infantry  during 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


281 


the  Civil  war  and  belongs  to  Robert 
O.  Tyler  post  of  the  Grand  Army.  He 
has  lived  in  Hartford  thirty  years  and 
is  one  of  the  principal  building  con- 
tractors in  that  city.  He  has  served 
in  both  branches  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Council  and  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  first  selectman.  In  all 
he  has  spent  ten  years  on  the  Board 


ISAAC  W.  STUART, 

First  Adjutant  Putnam   Phalan.x. 

of  Selectmen.  Chief  of  Staff  Phil- 
brick  was  born  in  South  Hadley 
Falls,  Mass.,  and  is  sixty-two  years 
of  age.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  intellect- 
ual gifts  and  a  most  interesting  lec- 
turer, chiefly  concerning  the  Yellow- 
stone park. 

JOHN    W.    TITCOMB. 

The  Board  of  Selechuen  in  Hart- 
ford also  nas  a  representativ;?  on  the 
f^taff  in  Lieutenant  John  W.  Titcomb, 
(lie  assistant  commissary.  cieiect- 
mun  Titcorab  has  lived  in  Hartford 
u])wards  of  thirty  yenrs,  and  is 
a.cTive  in  poli.ics  and  business.  He 
has  a  large  amount  of  property  under 
his  management  in  Haitford.     He  is 


connected  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Edwin 
Pond  Parker's  church  and  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  best  type  of  citizen- 
ship. 

ARTHUR    M.    WILSON. 

Quartermaster  Arthur  M.  Wilson 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Phalanx 
staff  half  a  dozen  years  or  more  and 
is  an  ideal  staff  official.  He  is  the 
vice  president  and  treasurer  of  the 
E.  S.  Kibbe  company,  one  of  the 
largest  wholesale  grocery  houses  in 
Hartford.  He  is  a  native  of  Windsor 
and  is  forty-eight  years  of  age. 

CHARLES    H.    KEYES. 

.ludge  Advocate  Charles  H.  Keyes 
is  the  principal  of  the  South  scliool 
in  Hartford  and  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  educators  in  New  Eng- 


EX-GOV.  GEORGE  P.   M'LEAN, 
Past  Judge  Advocate  Putnam  Phalanx. 

land  He  came  here  from  the  west 
some  years  ago  with  an  established 
reputation  as  a  teacher  He  is  an  ex- 
ponent of  modern  methods  in  the  ed- 
ucational field  Judge  Advocate 
Keyes  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a 
fine  after  dinner  sneaker 


282 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


ATHLETIC  GAMES  AT  TROTTING  PARK 


The  Centennial  athletic  games  were 
a  strong  feature  of  to-day's  programme 
and  the  Meriden  Trotting  park  was  the 
mecca  in  the  afternoon  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  sporting  people  as  well  as  others 
of  less  sportive  proclivities,  all  bent  on 
seeking  the  best  list  of  field  and  track 
events,  arranged  for  any  meet  in  this 
town   in   many  a  day. 

Yale,  Wesleyan  and  Trinity  entries 
served  to  give  the  meet  imusual  promi- 
nence, and  noted  amateurs  from  I'seiv 
York  and  Brooklyn,  as  well  as  the  state 
and  local  entries  made  up  as  fine  and 
clean  an  aggregation  of  athleces  as 
might  be  looked  for  at  any  of  the  big 
college  meets.  The  meet  too,  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Amateur  Athletic  Tjnion 
of  America,  will  have  a  record  in  the 
annals  of  sporting  events  of  widespread 
importance. 

Prominent  among  the  Yale  starters 
was  E.  B.  Parsons,  Jr.,  who  has  repre- 
sented his  college  at  the  Grecian  games 
and  the  intercollegiate  meets  and  holds 
the  half-mile  record.  Allen  F.  P'oster 
and  J.  F.  Williams  were  two  other 
prominent  Yale  men  entered  in  the 
mile  and  half-mile  events.'  In  the 
sprints  J.  E.  Drummond  of  Yale  was 
regarded  as  a  likely  candidate  for  prize 
honors. 

First  on  the  programme  were  the 
track  events,  and  it  was  after  2  o'clock 
when  the  first  heat  of  the  100  yards 
dash  (open)  was  called  and  alternat- 
ing with  this  event  was.  the  100  yards 
dash  for  local  sprinters.  Then  came 
the  half-mile  run,  tug  of  war,  final 
heats  in  the  open  and  local  100  yard^ 
dashes,  one-mile  run,  220  yards  dash 
and  mile  relay  race.  The  field  events, 
which  were  for  local  athletes,  came  ni 
this  order:  High  jump,  pole  vault,  broad 
jump  and  shot  put. 

It  was,  indeed  a  most  successful 
event,  though  the  attendance  might  have 
been  larger  were  the  park  more  con- 
venient of  access. 

Robinson,  of   Yale,  who   was  entered 


just  before  the  meet,  proved  to  be  the 
star  sprinter,  for  besides  winning  the 
100  yards  open  he  also  captured  the  200 
yards  dash,  with  L.  B.  Stevens,  N.  J. 
A.  C,  second,  and  J  .E.  Diamond,  Yale, 
third.  This  was  intended  to  be  a  220 
yards  dash,  but  a  mistak  ewas  made  in 
measuring  the  distance  and  after  the 
time,  20  1-2  seconds,  was  announced  it 
was   found   to  be  twenty  yards   short. 

LIST    OF    STARTERS. 

The  following  were  the  names  and 
numbers  of  the  starters  in  all  the  events : 

I,  Geo.  Fulton,  Meriden ;  2,  Frank 
Despins,  Meriden;  3,  Philip  Despins, 
Meriden ;  4,  Stanley  Ray,  Meriden ;  5, 
Harry  Coan,  Meriden;  6,  Claude  Sut- 
liffe,  Meriden ;  7,  Edgar  Adams,  Meri- 
den; 8,  Ra3'mond  Mitchell,  Meriden;  9, 
Harold  M.  Budd,  Meriden;  10,  Her- 
bert J.  Reeves,  Meriden;  11,  Frank  Ma- 
ronn ;  12,  Walter  Immich,  Meriden;  13, 
Joseph  Butler,  Waterbury;  14,  John  F. 
Rourke,  New  Britain ;  15,  Edward  San- 
berg,  New  Britain ;  16,  Timothy  Dwy- 
er,  Middletown ;  17,  Lester  B.  Stevens, 
New  Haven ;  18,  James  E.  Drummond, 
Yale;  19,  J.  F.  Williams,  Yale;  20,  Fred 
Heisler,  New  Britain;  21,  D.  C.  Pond, 
Trinity;  22,  Jas.  O.  Morris,  Trinity; 
23,  Wm.  E.  Gould,  New  Britain ;  24, 
A.  E.  Mason,  New  Haven ;  25,  L.  N. 
Foster,  New  Haven ;  26.  Wm.  L'Engle, 
New  Haven ;  27,  Edward  B.  Gray,  Wes- 
leyan; 28,  William  Van  Thun,  Brook- 
lyn; 29,  E.  B.  Parsons,  Jr.,  Yale;  30, 
Hillier,  C.  McBurrowcs,  Yale;  31.  Burt 
J.  Bannon,  Hartford ;  32.  Allen  E. 
Foster,  Yale;  t;^,  Henry  H.  Mason,  New 
Haven;  34,  William  F.  Miller,  New  Ha- 
ven. 

OPEN  EVENTS. 

This  is  a  list  of  the  entries  for  the 
difi'erent  open   events: 

100  yards  dash — Henry  H.  Mason, 
Highwood ;  J.  E.  Drummond,  Yale ;  Les- 
ter B.  Stevens,  N.  Y.  A.  C,  New  Ha- 
ven ;  William  F.  Miller,  New  Haven ; 
Timothy    P.    Dwyer,    Middletown ;    Ed- 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


283 


ward  Sanberg,  New  Britain ;  John  F. 
Rourke,  New  Britain ;  Joseph  F.  But- 
ler, Waterbury;  Harold  Budd,  Meriden ; 
Raymond   Mitchell,   Meriden. 

220  yards  dash — -Ravmond  Mitchell, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Meriden;'  Joseph  F.  But- 
ler, Waterbury  High  school ;  John  F. 
Rourke,  Tuxedo  A.  C,  New  Britain ; 
Edward  Sanberg,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  New 
Britain;  Timothy  P.  Dwyer,  Middle- 
town  ;  Lester  B.  Stevens,  N.  Y.  A.  C. ; 
James  E.  Drummond,  Yale;  J.  F.  Wil- 
liams, Yale. 

One    mile     run — Fred    Heisler,     New 


A.  E.  Mason,  New  Haven;  L.  N.  Fos- 
ter, New  Haven ;  Wm.  J.  L'Engle,  Yale ; 
Edward  B.  Graj',  Wesleyan ;  William 
Van  Thun,  Brooklyn;  J.  F.  Williams, 
Yale;  E.  B.  Parsons,  Jr.,  Yale;  Hillier 
C.  McBurrowes,  Yale;  Burt  J.  Bannon, 
Hartford. 

LOCAL   EVENTS. 

High  jump — Raymond  Mitchell,  Har- 
ry J  .Coan,  Walter  L  .Immich,  Frank 
C.   Maronn. 

Broad  Jump — Frank  Despins,  Stanley 
G.  Ray,  Philip  J.  Despins,  H.  J.  Reeves. 

Shot    Put — Frank    C.    Maronn,    Frank 


OFFICE  S.  N.  E.     TELEPONE  CO. 


Britain;  D.  C.  Pond,  Trinity;  James 
O.  Morris,  Trinity;  William  E.  Gould, 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  New  Britain;  Edward  San- 
berg, New  Britain ;  A.  E.  Mason,  New 
Haven ;  Wm.  J.  L'Engle,  New  Haven ; 
Edward  B.  Gray,  Wesleyan ;  William 
Van  Thun,  Xavier  A.  A.,  Brooklyn;  J. 
F.  Williams,  Yale;  E.  B.  Parsons,  Jr., 
Yale;  Allen  E.  Foster,  Yale;  Burt  J. 
Bannon,    Y.    M.    C.    A.,    Hartford. 

Half  Mile  Run — Fred  Heisler,  New 
Britain ;  D.  C.  Pond,  Trinity ;  James  O. 
Morris,  Trinity;  Wm.  E.  Gould,  New 
Britain ;  Edward  Sanberg,  New  Britain ; 


Despins,  Robert  Chaffee,  H.  J.  Reeves. 

Pole  Vault— Richard  Hiller,  John 
Marquardt,   Herbert  Maronn. 

100  Yards  Dash — Geo.  Fulton,  Frank 
Despins,  Philip  J.  Despins,  Stanley  G 
Ray,  Raymond  Mitchell,  Harold,  M 
Budd,  Herbert  J.  Reeves,  Harry  J 
Coan,  Claude  V.  Sutliffe,  Edgar  J 
Adams. 

Mile  Run— Frank  C.  Maronn,  Walter 
L.   Immich. 

Co.  I  Tug-of-War — Anthony  Cara- 
bine, Capt. ;  Geo.  Magee,  Herbert  Spen- 
cer, L.  B.  K.  Goring,  E.  F.  Walcott. 


2S4 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Co.  L  Tug-of-War — George  Savage, 
William  Bemont,  William  DeCantillon, 
William    Thorpe,    Harrv    Warner. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Relay— Frank  C.  Ma- 
ronn,  H.  J.  Reeves,  Geo.  Fulton,  Stan- 
ley Ray.. 

Co.  L  Relay — Fred  Hall, '  Henry 
Schaefer,  George  St.  Arnauld,  Samuel 
Tyler,  Ray   Mitchell. 

OFFICIALS. 

The   officials   of   the   meet   were: 

Referee — Mayor  Thomas  L.  Reilly. 

Clerk  of  Course — R.   B.   Hyatt. 

Assistant  Clerk  of  Course — W.  H. 
Hinsdale. 

Judges  at  Finish— Rosw^ell  Tripp, 
Yale;  W.  H.  Crammer,  A.  N.  Butler, 
J.  J.  Quill,  Yale. 

Field  Judges — J.  E.  Reynolds,  W.  C. 
North,    Wesleyan;    E.    C.    Geehring. 

Timers — W.  T.  Coholan,  Yale ;  Dan- 
iel  Budd,  Robert   Pallet. 

Starter — J.  M.  Gates,  Captain  Yale 
track  team. 

Announcer — R.  R.  Reilly. 

Scorer — Howard    C.   Tryon. 

SPRINT    EVENTS. 

It  was  2:35  when  the  first  heat  of 
the  100  yards  dash,  open,  was  started 
and    those    who    qualified    were : 

Stevens,  New  Haven  first,  Drummond 
of  Yale  second  and  Miller  of  New  Ha- 
ven,   third.     Time,    10    3-5    seconds. 

The  winners  of  the  second  heat 
were:  Robinson  of  Yale  first;  Rourke, 
New  Britain,  second;  O'Connell,  third. 
Time,    11    seconds. 

In  the  100  yards  for  local  sprinters, 
Phil  Despins,  Mitchell  and  Sutliffe 
qualified  in  order  in  the  first  heat. 
Time,    11    seconds. 

In  the  one  mile  run  W.  J.  L'Engle  of 
Yale  came  first;  W.  Van  Thun,  Brook- 


lyn,  second;   A.   E.   Foster,  Yale,  third. 
Time    4  -.49. 

Ray,  Budd  and  Coan  qualified  in  the 
second  heat.     Time,   10  3-5  seconds, 
test  by  one-half  inch. 

TUG   OF    WAR. 

Company  I  team  won  the  first  heat 
from  Company  L  in  the  tug  of  war  con- 

MASON    WINS    HALF    MILE. 

Mason  of  Highwood  won  the  half 
mile  run,  with  Williams  of  Yale  second 
and  Parson  of  Yale,  third  Time, 
2:04  1-2. 

ROEINSON      WINS     FINAL. 

Robinson  was  first  in  the  final  heat  of 
the  100  yards  open;  O'Connell  second 
and   Stevens  third.     Time,    10   1-2. 

PHIL   DESPINS   WINS. 

Phil  Despins  won  in  the  final  of  the 
local  100  yards  dash,  with  Ray  second 
and    Mitchell    third.     Time.    10   3-5. 

WINNERS     OF     LOCAL    EVENTS. 

Pole  vault — First,  Herbert  Maronn; 
second,  John  Marquardt;  third,  Richard 
Hiller;   distance,  7  feet,  6  inches. 

Shot  put — First,  Robert  Chaffee;  sec- 
ond, Frank  Maronn;  third,  H.  J. 
Reeves;   distance,  34  feet,   2  inches. 

High  jump — First,  Ray  Mitchell;  sec- 
ond, Harry  Coan;  third,  Frank  Maronn; 
height,   4   feet,   8   inches. 

Broad  ump — First,  Phillip  Despins; 
second,  Frank  Mraonn;  third,  Stanley 
Ray;   distance,   17  feet,   10  inches. 

Relay  race,  one  mile — First,  High 
school ;  second,  Compan  I ;  third,  Y.  M. 
C.   A. ;    timt.   4   minutes,   3-5    seconds. 

It  was  said  the  poor  showing  made 
by  Parsons,  the  crack  distance  runner 
of  Yale,  was  due  to  the  fact  that  he 
has  been  hard  at  work  this  week  on  his 
examinations,  and  was  in  anything  but 
E^ood  form. 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


285 


Saturday,  June  16 — Incorporation  Day 


The  rain  which  fell  in  the  morning 
could  not  dampen  the  Centennial  en- 
thusiasm, nor  to  any  great  extent  mar 
the  success  of  Meriden's  great  gala 
week.  The  Saengerbund  parade,  the 
reproduction  of  "The  First  Town 
meeting"  were  given  in  the  morning 
according  to  the  schedule,  while  at  12  158 
the  Holy  Cross  and  Wesleyan  baseball 
teams  arrived  at  the  depot  and  were 
met  by  a  big  crowd  to  see  the  stars  of 
both  colleges.  It  had  just  stopped  rain- 
ing and  the  weather  was  yet  threaten- 
ing, but  this  did  not  deter  the  two  clubs, 
and  after  dressing  at  the  Winthrop  ho- 
tel  they   proceeded   to   Hanover   park. 

The  historical  exercises  in  the  after- 
noon at  the  First  Congregational  church 
formed  a  memorable  occasion  in  them- 
selves. 

The  church  was  well  filled  when  the 
announcement  was  made  of  the  sing- 
ing of  the  national  hymn  by  the  au- 
dience. Then  Rev.  Albert  J.  Lord 
gave  the  invocation,  appealing  for  the 
Divine  blessing  upon  the  gathering. 

George  Munson  Curtis,  president  of 
the  General  Centennial  committee,  who 
has  given  many  months  of  earnest  ef- 
fort to  the  Centennial  celebration,  gave 
a  few  introductory  remarks,  briefly  re- 
viewing what  had  been  accomplished 
and  the  purpose  of  the  occasion. 

The  Commemoration  ode  was  read  by 
its  author.  William  Savage  Johnson, 
Ph.  D..  of  Yale  university,  and  a  Mer- 
iden  boy.  This  poem,  which  will  be 
found  in  full  on  page  47,  was  written 
by  this  talented  young  man  for  the  oc- 
casion. 

Judge  Simeon  E.  Baldwin,  LL.  D., 
of  New  Haven,  justice  of  the  Supreme 
court,  and  president  of  the  American 
Historical  association,  in  his  address 
represented  the  New  Haven  Colony 
Historical  society,  which  numbers  Mer- 
iden  people  in  its  list.  His  address  will 
be   found   in   full  on  another  page. 


Following  the  organ  voluntary, 
George  M.  Curtis  gave  an  address  on  a 
"General  Historical  Sketch  of  Meriden." 
This  comprehensive  paper,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  complete  and  interesting 
of  the  features  of  the  Centtnnial  is 
given   in    full   elsewhere. 

St.  Andrew's  choir  sang  an  anthem, 
and  then  Hon.  Cyrus  LaRue  Munson, 
of  Williamsport,  Pa.,  gave  a  most  in- 
teresting address  upon  "New  Eng- 
land's Influence  upon  our  Institutions 
and  in  American  Progress."  The  ad- 
dress in  full  is  also  given  elsewere. 
It  was  listened  to  with  great  attention 
and  forms  a  noteworthy  paper  in  the 
great    historical    review. 

After  the  singing  of  "America"  by 
the  audience,  the  afternoon  exercises 
closed  with  the  benediction  by  Rev.  A. 
J.  Lord. 

The  evening  exercises  were  held  in 
the  same  church  at  7 :30  and  consisted 
to  a  great  extent  of  the  same  line  of 
thought  that  was  considered  in  the  af- 
ternoon. 

The  programme  is  given  in  full  as 
follows : 

Auld  Lang  Syne  sung  by  the  audience 

Invocation   Rev.  Albert  J.  Lord 

Address,  The  Infant  Industries  of 
Meriden  During  the  Years  1825  to 
1850.      New    England   Echoes   from 

Other    Lands     

Julius  H.  Pratt,  of  Montclair,  N.  T. 

Address,  Recollection  of  Meriden  Sixty 

Years    Ago    

Prof.  David  N.  Camp,  of  New  Britain 

Reading  of  Winning  Historical  Essays 

of    school    children    and   awarding   of 

prizes 

William  P.  Kelly,   Supt.  of  schools 

Old  Hundred,  sung  by  the  audience 
Benediction    Rev.   Albert   J.    Lord 


286 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


REPRODUCTION  OF  FIRST  TOWN  MEETING 


The  "Reproduction  of  the  First  Town 
Meeting  of  Meriden"  brought  out  an 
audience  that  completely  filled  the  seat- 
ing capacity  of  the  auditorium  of  the 
new  Town  hall.  The  same  decorations 
that  graced  the  Colonial  ball  were  al- 
lowed to  remain  and  served  as  an  added 
charm  to  the  stage  settings  and  cos- 
tumes  of   a   century   ago. 

Representative  citizens  of  both  Mer- 
iden and  Wallingford  were  in  attend- 
ance, and  the  distinguished  women  of 
the  city  and  the  borough  were  likewise 
largely  in  evidence.  For  many  the  re- 
production of  town  meeting  scenes  was 
entirely  new  and  for  such  old  timers 
in  the  service  as  First  Selectman  George 
W.  Miller  and  Town  Clerk  Herman 
Hess,  it  was  a  refreshing  representation 
of  scenes  enacted  in  their  own  times, 
and  there  was  enough  of  the  comedy 
element  to  relieve  the  monotony  and 
tediousness  of  the  customary  cut  and 
drjfd  town  meetin'  facts. 

Sherman  F.  Johnson,  the  author  of 
the  reproduction,  was  the  recipient  of 
many  hearty  congratulations  for  the 
clever  manner  in  which  he  grouped  the 
historical  facts  of  one  hundred  years 
ago  and  put  them  into  dramatic  form. 
It  was  no  easy  task  to  take  such  a  dry 
subjject  and  mould  it  into  an  interest- 
ing as  well  as  instructive  play,  but  Mr. 
Johnson  proved  equal  to  the  occasion, 
and  not  only  that  but  he  showed  that 
he  is  a  capable  stage  director  in  addi- 
tion to  being  a  thespian  of  no  mean 
ability.  All  the  congratulations  he  re- 
ceived  were   fully   deserved. 

The  only  unfortunate  mix-up  that 
occurred  during  the  entire  week  hap- 
pened in  connection  with  the  reproduc- 
tion of  the  town  meeting  at  which  the 
Putnam  Phalanx  was  to  be  present  and 
act  as  an  escort  of  the  cast  to  the  au- 
ditorium. 

Owing  to  an  unfortunate  misunder- 
standing between  committees,  the  cast 
was  not  notified  to  go  to  the  Winthrop 
to    be    escorted    and    the    Putnam    Pha- 


lanx, who  were  ready  and  waiting  for 
the  purpose,  were  not  notified  until  too 
late  for  them  to  attend  the  meeting. 
The  Phalanx  were  in  no  manner  re- 
sponsible for  their  not  being  present. 

The  stage  with  its  antique  benches, 
colonial  color  and  pictures  of  George 
Washington  and  Israel  Putnam,  was 
in  keeping  with  the  period  of  repro- 
duction, as  far  as  possible,  and  the  cos- 
tumes of  the  cast  and  electors  were 
truly  representative  of  by-gone  times. 

All  the  principals  of  the  cast  did 
very  creditable  work.  Dr.  G.  A.  Hill, 
as  Dr.  Ensign  Hough,  was  the  person- 
ification of  dignity,  and  he  made  an 
ideal  part  of  the  doctor.  In  contrast 
to  Dr.  Hough  was  Moses  Barns,  im- 
personated by  Waldemar  C.  Hirsch- 
feld.  and  he  put  a  lot  of  dramatic  force 
into  the  fiery  secessionist,  who  wanted 
to  cut  loose  at  once  from  all  Walling- 
ford   surroundings. 

Two  others,  who  filled  all  require- 
ments, were  Hugh  F.  Hagarty,  as  Geo. 
W.  Stanley,  the  moderator,  and  Rqv. 
A.  W.  Shaw,  as  town  clerk.  They 
were  exact  reproductions  of  what  might 
be  considered  their  prototypes  a  cen- 
tury ago.  William  C.  Brown,  as  Giles 
O.  Griswold,  was  another  who  invested 
his  character  with  a  good  deal  of  dig- 
nity and  sustained  his  part  admirably 
to  the  end.  Sherman  F.  Johnson  gave 
an  idealistic  impersonation  of  Rev. 
Erastus  Ripley,  a  clergyman  of  the  old 
school. 

Mr.  Johnson  showed  considerable  ver- 
satility in  his  comedy  work,  for  the 
three  comedians  were  entirely  distinct, 
one  from  the  other.  There  was  Absa- 
lom Royce,  the  part  taken  by  Albert 
A.  Gustine,  who  made  a  spread  eagle 
speech  that  thoroughly  enthused  the  en- 
tire audience.  Then  Frank  L.  Bur- 
leigh, as  Hezekiah  Prindle,  was  the  typi- 
cal old  tavern  rounder,  with  his  bea- 
con light,  and  his  acting  was  capital, 
without  oeing  overdone  at  any  time. 
Most  of  the  quiet  comedy  work  fell   to 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


287 


Arthur  W.  Taylor,  who  was  full  of 
funny  business,  as  Herodotus  Peck, 
from  start  to  finish. 

Dr.  Isaac  Hough,  son  of  Dr.  Ensign 
Hough,  let  his  father  do  all  the  talking. 
Principal  W.  J.  Prouty,  of  the  Meriden 
High  school,  who  impersonated  this 
party,  was  strong  on  makeup,  if  not 
talk,  and  he  brought  down  the  house 
on   his   first   appearance. 

Others  in  the  cast  who  saw  that  the 
motions  were  properly  put  and  seconded 
were  Charles  M.  Glantz  as  Jehu  Pres- 
ton and  Henry  L.  Carpenter  as  Deacon 
Mitchell. 

Besides  the  above  cast  there  was  a 
number  of  electors  at  the  meeting  in- 
cluding Chatham  Freeman,  Richard 
Griffin,  H.  D.  Beebe,  Alfred  B.  Savage, 
Herbert  Billian,  August  H.  Riecke,  Ed- 
ward D.  Bradstreet,  Nelson  C.  John- 
son, Stanley  White,  Dwight  Ives,  Stan- 
ley Lynn,  Walter  L.  Imniich,  Leroy  W. 
Gardner,  Samuel  IMcNabb,  John  B. 
Dunlop,  Herbert  C.  Ma}',  Edwin  E.  Gib- 
son, Ed.  L.  Montgomery,  E.  'M.  Ives, 
Ed.  Hart,  H.  Burdette  Evarts.  Oliver 
R.  McCarthy,  jr.,  Burton  I.  Miller,  Wil- 
liam Wear,  Lewis  E.  Wood,  Albert  Gra- 
ham and   Augustus   H.  Jones. 

A  full  text  of  the  reproduction  fol- 
lows : 


(Enter  Moses  Barns  and  Giles  Gris- 
wold.) 

(Barns)  Ho!  Friend  Griswold,  you 
and  I  be  the  first  ones  here.  Don't  the 
people  of  Meriden  appreciate  their 
rights  and  privileges  enough  to  get  up 
in  time  for  the  first  town  meeting  in 
their  history?  You  and  I,  Griswold,  are 
the  most  earnest  and  patriotic  men  in 
Meriden. 

(Griswold)  And  all  the  more  remark- 
able on  your  part,  Master  Barns,  since 
you  have  but  lately  become  one  of  us- 

(Barns)  But  now  I  have  become  one 
of  you  I  am  the  most  loyal  of  citizens 
of  the  new  town.  Cheshire  wasn't  no 
place  for  a  live  man.  In  Meriden  I  hope 
to  find  men — even  if  they  be  too  lazy 
to  get  to  their  first  town  meeting  as 
early  as  me — 

(Griswold)  A  converted  Cheshire 
man. 

(Barns)  You  won't  find  me  no  back- 
slider, nuther.  Master  Griswold.  I  be 
a  fair,  just  man,  I  be,  so  that  when  I  tell 
you  Cheshire  is  a  very  Sodom  and 
Gamorrah  to  flee  from  I  hope  you  be- 


lieve me.  Them  Cheshire  men  are  a 
queer  passel  of  folk.  They  tell  this 
story  of  a  Cheshire  man  who  sells  milk 
to  them  who  don't  raise  cows.  It 
mayn't  be  true — and  it  may.  The 
man's  nephew,  who  had  been  a  sailor, 
come  home  from  a  voyage  and  brought 
with  him  a  monkey  he'd  picked  up  some 
where.  Well,  the  old  man  had  been 
paid  one  day  and  paid  in  money.  Money 
being  as  scarce  with  him  as  with  most 
men  he  kept  ataking  of  it  out  of  his 
pocket  and  looking  at  it  and  counting 
it.  There's  a  little  pond  near  his  house 
and  he  sat  down  on  the  bank  and  a.', 
usual  begun  to  look  at  and  count  his 
monev.  Well,  it  seems  the  monkey 
had    been    watching    him    and    when    it 


SHERMAN   F.   JOHNSON. 

found  a  chance  it  grabbed  the  mont-.y 
and  climbed  the  tree  under  which  tne 
man  was  sitting.  The  little  critter  sat 
down  on  a  limb  and  begun  to  count  ih<i 
money.  The  first  coin  he  throwed  down 
to  the  man,  the  second  he  throwed  in- 
to the  pond,  and  so  he  kept  it  up.  See- 
ing which  our  friend  throws  up  his 
hands  and  yells :  "He  must  be  the  devil, 
for  what  come  from  the  milk  he  gives 
back   to  me,   and   what  come   from  ihe 


288 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


water  he  gives  back  to  the  water."  Of 
course,  I  won't  say  the  story's  true. 

(Griswold)  You  only  suspect  it  is. 
Ha!  Ha! 

(Barns)  Yes,  and  they  say  this  same 
man  is  so  mean  that  when  he  travels 
more  than  a  day's  journey  he  always 
carries  a  hen  along  in  his  wagon  to 
pick  up  the  oats  his  horse  wastes  and 
to  lay  him  an  egg  for  his  breakfast. 
And   that   story   I   believe. 

(Griswold)  You  don't  give  a  feiiow 
creature  credit  for  more  virtues  than 
he  can  prove  he  possesses. 

(Barns)   What's  the  use?  Even  when 


H.   L.   CARPENTER. 

you  take  the  strictest  accounting  tliere 
be  always  plenty  of  faults  you  don't 
know  about.  What  I  should'  like  to 
know,  Friend  Griswold,  is  why  you 
people  of  Meriden  allow  the  first'  meet- 
ing in  your  history  to  have  for  it's  mod- 
erator a  Wallingford  man?  Ain't  there 
enough  life-sized  men  in  Meriden,  or 
don't  you  dare  cut  wholly  loose  from 
your    mother's    apron     strings? 

(Griswold)  Why,  Master  Stanley  wa^ 
appointed  moderator  by  the  General 
Assembly  when  it  granted  us  permis- 
sion to  hold  the  meeting  and  become  a 
separate    town.     Besides      we    have    no 


quarrel  with  our  mother  town.  We 
part  not  in  anger.  'Tis  only  that  we 
be  so  far  away  that  we  would  leave  her. 
We  have  nothing  but  love  and  respect 
for''  Wallingford. 

(Barns)  Love  and  respect!  Bah!  Tis 
a  boiling  disgrace  that  Meriden's  first 
town  meeting  should  be  managed  by  a 
man  from  Wallingford.  I  know  naught 
of  George  W.  Stanley  save  that  no  is 
a  Wallingford  man— but  that's  enough. 
(Griswold)  You,  our  newest  citizen, 
seem  the  most  concerned  about  our 
town's  dignity. 

(Barns)  Dignity!  Bah!  Common 
rights,  common  justice.  Why  didn't  wc 
elect  a  Britisher  our  first  President  in- 
stead of  General  Washington?  T^'n't 
too  late  to  have  one  now.  Tell  Presi- 
dent Jefiferson  and  he  will  get  out  and 
let  a  beef-eating  redcoat  in.  Why  not 
show  our  love  and  respect  for  Old 
Mother  England?  Mark  my  words! 
We  aint  done  with  the  old  lady  yet. 
What  is  she  doing  now?  Stopping  all 
our  ships,  interfering  with  our  com- 
merce and  snapping  her  fingers  at  Pres- 
ident Jefferson,  when  he  tries  to  pro- 
test. And  do  you  suppose  that  all  this 
country  to  the  west  that  our  Captain 
Lewis  and  Captain  Clark  have  this  year 
traveled  across  and  explored — do  30U 
'spose  the  British  won't  be  holding  that 
with  their  bullets  and  bayonets.  Von 
may  suppose  they  won't,  but  I  know 
better.  And  thev'd  like  to  get  their 
claws  on  Texas,  which  Captain  Zeb. 
Pike  has  just  explored  and  which  some 
folks  is  talking  of  taking  into  our  union 
of  states.  Lord !  we  don't  want  no  more 
land.  We  got  more  than  we  can  han- 
dle now.  I  never  would  have  bought 
the  Louisiana  Territory.  Who's  that 
comin'    in,    Friend    Griswold? 

(Griswold)  Ha!  Ha!  That  is  a  most 
enlightening  question.  That  is  Parson 
Ripley.  Where  be  you  o'  Sundays,  Mas- 
ter Barns? 

(Barns)  I  ain't  no  Congregationalist 
This  is  the  first  time  I  was  ever  in  the 
meeting  house.  I  be  a  Baptist.  I  was 
present  at  the  ordination  of  my  own 
pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  the  other 
day. 

(Ripley)  Well,  my  good  men,  yon  .ire 
here,  bright  and  early. 

(Griswold)  Almost  as  early,  parson, 
as  when  I  got  home  from  your  ordi- 
nation ball  three  years  ago. 

(Ripley)  Ha!  Ha!  and  I  hope  clearer 
headed. 


CENJENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


289 


(Enter  Chatham  Freeman.) 

(Ripley)  Ah!  Friend  Freeman,  come 
to  exercise  the  rights  won  by  bullets 
and  bravery? 

(Griswold  to  Barns)  'Tis  Chataani 
Freeman.  He  was  a  slave  of  Noah 
Yale  before  the  war,  but  he,  Black  Boss, 
Abel  Curtiss'  black  boy,  and  some  oth- 
ers of  the  slaves  held  here  won  th-- 
freedom  by  enlisting  in  the  army. 

(Enter   Jehu    Preston   and   others.) 

(Griswold)  What  ails  Jehu  Preston? 
Jehu,   where   have  you  been  ? 

(Preston)  Where  have  I  been?  It"^ 
lucky  Fm  not  there  now.  Why,  I  tc:ll 
off  the  bridge  across  Pilgrims"  Harbor 
Brook  into  the  swamp. 

(Barns)  And  of  all  swamps  thai  is 
the  swampest  I  ever  see.  Whatever 
you  people  settled  this  place  for  is  more 
than  I  can  understand.  With  that  inire 
and  muck  to  the  west  of  us  and  that 
tangle  of  Dogs'  Misery  to  the  east  of 
us — -'tis  a  wonder  you  wasn't  all  either 
drowned  or  lost. 

(Griswold)  They  tell  of  what  might 
have  been  a  very  pretty  romance  in  rr\- 
nection  with  the  Pilgrims'  Harbor 
brook.  The  daughter  of  Captain  Ezc- 
kiel  Rice,  over  there,  fell  into  the  wa- 
ter, and  was  rescued  unconscious,  bhe 
was  of  a  romantic,  high  strung,  ii.!<uty 
nature,  and  she  vowed  she'd  wed  h'^.r 
rescuer. 

(Barns)   Well,  did  she? 

(Griswold)  Why,  no.  You  see  she 
v.'as  saved  by  Stephen  Bailey's  big  New- 
foundland dog. 

(Ripley)  Ah,  here  comes  Dr.  Hough 
— both   Drs.    Hough. 

(Barns)  Deliver  me  from  the  whole 
tribe  of  Houghs.  Bah ! 

(Griswold)  What  have  you  against 
them?  Speak  low.  Dr.  Ensign  Hough  is 
our  most  prominent  citizen,  and,  as  men 
in   this  town   go,   a  big  man. 

(Barns)  His  son,  Dr.  Isaac  Hough,  I 
can  well  believe,  is  a  big  man. 

(Griswold)  He  is  tarnal  sensitive 
about  his  weight,  which  must  be  nigh 
400  pounds  or  more. 

(Barns)   I  can't  stomach  none  of  'em. 

(Griswold)  What  have  the  Houghs 
ever  done  to  j^ou  ? 

(Barns)  They're  an  overbearin',  ar- 
rogant set  of  dandies,  who,  because 
they've  got  more  eddication  than  most 
of  us,  and  can  dress  in  fine  clothes  and 
wear  beaver  hats  every  da}-,  and  carry 
gold-headed  canes  think  that  they're  bet- 
ter than   their  neighbors.     And  how  do 

19 


they  make  their  money?  Why,  by  grind- 
in'  the  poor !  When  I  had  the  lumbago 
last  winter,  I  had  the  old  doctor  come 
to  see  me  once — just  once,  mind  ye, — • 
and  he  charged  me  a  shilling — twenty- 
five  cents  for  driving  over  to  my  place 
just  once. 

(Griswold)  Twenty-five  cents  is  his 
regular  fee.  Master  Barns. 

(Barns)  Grindin'  the  poor,  and  him 
growing  rich  with  his  tavern,  too.  Why, 
he  sells  enough  rum  to  make  him  a  rich 
man — and  tarnation  poor  liquor  at  that! 

(Griswold),  Oh!  Come  now,  Master 
Barns,  You  can't  say  the  doctor  don't 
keep  the  best. 


A.   A.   GUSTINE. 

(Barns)  I  believe  you.  He  keeps  it 
close.     He  sells  the  worst. 

(Griswold)  No,  no,  the  doctor's  liq- 
uors are  good,  sound,  healthy  liquors. 
Didn't  you  never  hear  about  the  Hart- 
ford man  who  liked  the  stuff?  No? 
Well,  it  was  this  way.  He  was  on  his 
way  to  New  Haven  a  horseback.  He 
stopped  in  front  of  the  tavern,  and,  with- 
out getting  down  from  his  horse,  called 
out  to  one  of  the  doctor's  female  help  : 
"Say,  do  you  keep  good  cider?"  "We 
do    that,"    says    the   girl.     "Fetch    me    a 


290 


CENTENNIAL  OE   MEKIDEN. 


quart,"  says  he.  The  girl  brought  him 
a  quart  of  cider,  which  he  drank  at 
one  long  draught.  Then  he  sat  think- 
ing and  smacking  his  lips  in  judgment. 
Then,  "Fetch  me  another,"  says  he.  So 
the  girl  fetches  him  another  quart,  which 
he  drinks  like  the  other,  at  one 
draught,  and  still  sitting  in  his  saddle. 
Then  he  hands  back  the  pot,  slowly 
swings  himself  from  his  horse  and  says, 
"Yes,  that  is  pooty  fair.  I  guess  I'll  go 
in  and  have  some." 

(Bams)  Every  man  to  his  taste.  That 
must  have  lieen  some  time  ago.  He  nev- 


WILLIAM    C.    BROW  IN. 

er  could  have  drank  so  much  of  the 
brand    the   doctor   sells   to-day. 

(Griswold)  Not  so  long,  nuther.  Let 
me  think.  'Twas  the  same  year  Gener- 
al Washington  came  to  Meriden  and 
that  was — that  was  in  1797 — nine  years 
ago. 

(Barns)  Drat  these  pewter  buttons! 
I  hope  Samuel  Yale  is  here  to-day.  I 
want  to  give  him  a  piece  of  my  mind 
about  the  way  he  makes  his  buttons.  If 
a  man  is  going  to  do  a  job,  why  can't 
he  do  it  proper?  I  say — ah!  there  he 
is.  I'll  tell  him!  (Moves  over  to 
Yale.) 


(Rev.  Ripley)  Ah,  Dr.  Hough,  this 
is  a  glorious  day  in  the  history  of  our 
town. 

(Hough)  Glorious,  indeed,  Parson 
Ripley.  We  are  making  history  to- 
day. In  a  humble  way,  perhaps,  but 
history,  nevertheless.  Americans  are 
never  content  until  they  are  free, 
parson. 

(Ripley)  Perhaps  some  day  we  shall 
be  as  thriving  and  important  a  place 
as  our  parent  town,  or  even  one  of 
our  capitols,  Hartford  or  New  Haven. 

(Hough)  It  will  take  time,  but  no 
telling  what  will  happen.  (Enier 
Stanley.)  Ah,  there  is  Master  Stanley. 
(Advances  to  meet  Stanley)  Good 
morning,  Mother  Wallingford.  You 
ha\e  the  honor  of  being  the  last  Wal- 
lingford man  to  act  as  moderator  at  a 
Meriden   meeting. 

(S.tanley)  'Tis  an  honor  I  deeply  ap- 
preciate. Dr.  Hough.  Is  Amos  White 
here?  I  must  have  a  word  with  him  be- 
fore opening  the  meeting.  (All  go 
aside.)  (Barns  and  several  others  in 
center.) 

(Barns)  I  be  nothing  if  I  be  not  loy- 
al. Now  that  I'm  a  citizen  of  Meriden 
1  will  see  no  other  town  but  Meriden 
and  I  protest  against  a  Wallingford  man 
bein'  moderator  at  our  first  town  meet- 
ing. I'm  a  Meriden  man  and  I'm  loyal 
to  Meriden.  I'm  an  American  and  I 
say  to  blazes  with  everything  British ! 
There's  no  place  like  America,  there's 
no  tune  like  Yankee  Doodle,  there's  no 
food  like  the  Yankee  hasty  pudding, 
and  no  poet  to  sing  its  virtues  like  Joel 
Barlow.  A  good  Connecticut  man,  born 
at  Reading,  and  he  praises  a  good  Con- 
necticut dish. 

(Stanley  advances  to  the  platform.) 

(Stanley)  Men  of  the  town  of  Meri- 
den :  As  moderator  of  this  meeting,  duly 
chosen  by  order  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly to  act  as  such,  I  hereby  call  to  order 
the  first  town  meeting  in  the  history  of 
Meriden.  As  a  son  of  Wallingford,  of 
which  all  of  you  were  sons  until  to- 
day, when  you  lay  down  the  duties  and 
rcs])onsibilities  only  to  take  up  graver 
duties  and  more  exacting  respons- 
il)ilities  as  a  son  of  Wallingford, 
\our  mother  town,  I  bear  to  you  to-day 
a  message  of  kindly  regard  and  the 
earnest  wish  that  this  new  town  may 
thrive  and  prosper.  We  of  Walling- 
ford bear  you  nothing  but  good  will. 
We  shall  look  upon  you  as  our  child — 


CENTEMNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


291 


but  we  shall  have  a  parent's  tenderness 
to  forgive,  if  forgiveness  be  necessary, 
and  a  parent's  soliciture  .that  your  path 
be  not  too  rough  and  arduous. 

I  have  requested  Amos  White  to  act 
as  clerk  until  you  choose  one  for  your- 
self. I  will  ask  him  to  read  the  resolve 
of  the  General  Assembly. 

(White  reads)  At  a  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  State  of  Connecticut  holden 
at  Hartford  on  the  second  Thursdav  in 
May,   1806.— 

Upon  the  petition  of  Phinehas  Ly- 
man and  o.ther  inhabitants  of  the  Town 
of  Wallingford  in  the  County  of  New 
Haven  showing  to  this  Assembly  that 
the  parish  of  Meriden  in  said  town  con- 
stitutes, in  extent,  population  and  prop- 
erty more  than  one-third  part  of  said 
town,  and  that  they  do  no,t  in  their 
present  situation  enjoy  their  just  rights 
to  which  they  are  entitled  in  common 
with  their  fellow  citizens ;  praying  that 
said  parish  may  be  incorporated  with 
the  ordinary  rights,  privileges  and  im- 
munities which  are  enjoyed  by  other 
towns  in  the  state  as  by  petition  on  file 
dated  February  14th  A.  D.,  1804.  This 
petition  was  preferred  to  this  Assem- 
bly at  their  session  holden  at  Hartford 
on  the  second  Thursday  in  May,  1804, 
and  was  legally  served  on  the  Inhabi- 
tans  of  said  Town  and  returned,  and  by 
legal  continuance  came  to  this  Session 
of  said  Assembly,  when  the  said  In- 
habitants were  three  times  publicly 
called  and  made  default  of  appearance — 

The  Petitioners  were  heard  and  the 
facts  stated  in  said  petition  were  fully 
proved   ,to   be   true. 

Resolved,  by  this  Assembly  that  the 
inhabitants  living  within  the  limits  of 
said  parish  of  Meriden  be  and  the}'  are 
hereby  incorporated  into  and  made  a 
town  by  the  name  of  Meriden,  and  that 
they  and  their  successors,  inhabitants 
within  said  limits,  are  and  shall  for- 
ever be  and  remain  a  town  and  body 
politic  with  the  ordinary  rights,  priv- 
leges  and  immunities  which  are  enjoyed 
by  other  towns  in  this  state  by  virtue 
of  their  respective  incorporation :  and 
■the  right  to  elect  and  send  one  repre- 
sentative only  to  the  General  Assembly 
until  by  law  they  shall  be  entitled  to 
elect  and  send  two;  that  the  dividing  line 
between  the  first  society  in  said  Wal- 
lingford and  said  parish  of  Meriden  be 
and  remain  the  dividing  line;  that  all 
persons  who  shall  be  residents  in  said 
town  including  said  parish  and  support- 


ed in  whole  or  in  part  by  said  town  and 
parish  at  the  rising  of  this  assembly, 
and  also  all  inhabitants  of  said  town  and 
parish  who  shall  be  without  the  limits 
of  said  town  and  parish,  and  afterwards 
return  and  become  chargeable,  with  all 
charges  and  expenses  which  shall  arise 
by  reason  of  any  such  person  or  per- 
sons shall  be  apportioned  between  said 
Town  of  Wallingford  and  said  Town  of 
Meriden  according  ,to  the  amount  of 
their  respective  lists  for  August  20th, 
1804.  as  completed  and  returned  to  the 
,town  clerk's  office;  said  division  and  ap- 
portionment in  case  said  towns  shall  not 
agree,    to    be    made    by    three    disinter- 


H.   F.   HAGAETY. 

ested  persons,  of  whom  two  shall  be 
chosen  by  said  Town  of  Wallingford, 
and  one  by  said  Town  of  Meriden ;  and 
with  a  just  reference  to  the  number, 
and  expense  necessar\f  for  the  purpose 
of  such  chargeable  persons ;  that  all 
debts  which  shall  be  due  from  said  town 
including  said  parish,  and  all  debts 
which  shall  be  due  to  said  town  at  said 
date  shall  be  divided  and  apportioned 
between  the  said  towns  according  to 
the  lists  and  in  the  manner  herein  be- 
fore   prescribed    relating    to    chargeable 


292 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


persons ;  ,that  the  said  Town  of  Meriden 
shall  repair  and  when  necessary  build 
the  bridge  of  which  one-half  is  within 
the  limits  of  said  Town  of  Wallingford, 
across  Wallingford  river  so  called, 
known  and  called  by  the  name  of  Falls 
Plain  Bridge,  at  the  cost  and  expense 
of  said  Town  of  Meriden ;  That  all  col- 
lectors of  taxes  granted  or  which  shall 
be  granted  before  said  time,  shall  have 
power  to  collect  the  same  as  fully  as  if 
this  resolve  had  not  passed;  that  said 
Town  of  Meriden  shall  hold  their  first 
meeting  at  the  Meeting  House  in  said 
Meriden  on  the  third  Monday  in  June 
next  at  one  o'clock  afternoon,  and  pro- 
ceed ,to  to  the  choice  of  all  town  of- 
ficers, the  moderator  of  said  meeting 
excepted ;  by  law  allowed  and  estab- 
lished; which  meeting  shall  be  warned 
by  warrant  signed  by  George  W.  Stan- 
ley Esquire,  a  Justice  of  Peace  for  New 
Haven  County,  and  posted  on  the  public 
sign  post  in  said  Meriden  at  least  ten 
days  previous  to  said  third  Monday,  and 
said  George  W.  Stanley,  Esquire,  shall 
be  moderator  of  said  meeting;  and  in 
case  of  the  absence  of  said  justice,  Eph- 
raim  Cook,  Esquire,  a  Justice  of  Peace 
for  said  county,  is  hereby  impowered 
to  sign  such  warrant,  and  preside  in 
said  meeting. 

(Stanley)  Your  first  dut\-,  gentlemen, 
will  be  to  elect  a  town  clerk. 

(Herodotus  Peck)  Why,  what's 
Amos? 

(Stanley)  Master  White  is  clerk  of 
this  meeting,  but  not  town  clerk,  unless 
3'ou  see  fit  to  elect  him  to  that  office. 

(Peck)  Why,  I  guess  that's  all  right. 
I'm  sure  I  s'posed — 

(Stanley)  I  shall  have  to  ask  that 
you  remove  your  hat,  sir.  I  shall  have 
to  ask  that  all  remove  .their  hats  during 
the  meeting. 

(Barns)  I  don't  take  off  my  hat  for 
no  man. 

(Griswold)  It  is  but  the  act  of  a 
gentleman. 

(Dr.  Hough)  I  object.  This  is  a  town 
meeting  and  such  questions  as  this  one 
we  are  to  decide  for  ourselves.  As  a 
man  I  have  no  objection  to  removing  my 
hat ;  indeed  I  should  take  pleasure  in 
complying  with  such  a  request,  but  as 
a  citizen  of  Meriden  I  object.  (Cheers.) 

(Barns  arises  and  ostentatiously  re- 
moves his  ha.t.)    (Hisses.) 

(Peck)  What  shall  I  do? 

(Stanley)  This  seems  to  me  a  very 
small  matter. 


(Dr.  Hough)  It  is  small,  if  viewed 
from  one  angle,  but  we  who  have  ju&t 
come  into  our  rights  are  tenacious  of 
even  the  smallest  of  them. 

(Stanley)  We  are  in  the  Lord's  house. 
Master  Ripley,  what  say  you? 

(Ripley)  There  are  some  members  of 
my  congregation  who  objected  to  our 
meeting  here  at  all,  and  they  suggested 
that  if  this  church  was  to  be  employed 
as  a  meeting  place  that  the  Episcopal- 
ians and  the  Baptists  also  should  pro- 
vide halls.  Seeing  ,that  there  is  this 
feeling,  it  might  be  the  part  of  wis- 
dom to  proceed  as  reverently  as  possi- 
ble, and  I  would  agree  with  our  mod- 
erator in  his  request  tha,t  we  remove 
our  hats. 

(Hough)  I  was  not  aware  that  there 
existed  any  feeling  against  our  using 
.this  edifice  for  our  town  meeting.  We 
would  not  force  ourselves  where  we  are 
not  wanted,  so  I  take  pleasure  in  ex- 
tending an  invitation  to  make  use  of 
my  tavern  in  place  of  this  church. 

(Barns)  The  doctor's  generosity  is 
overwhelming.  No  wonder  he  can  car- 
ry a  gold-headed  cane  when  his  own 
head  is  gold  producing.  A  town  meet- 
ing in  a  tavern !  Would  such  a  meeting 
ever  end?  Why,  every  motion  would  be 
tabled  and  every  one  of  us  under  the 
table  with  no  motions  possible.  The 
good  doctor's  fortune  would  be  made, 
but  as  for  me  it  seems  as  if  the  town 
meeting  would  get  less  harm  from  the 
spirituality  of  this  edifice  than  the  spir- 
ituousness   of   the   other. 

(Hough)  The  gentleman  certainly 
imputes  to  me  motives  that  have  their 
origin  only  in  his  own  distorted  imagi- 
nation. 

(Barns)  Distorted  imaginations  would 
be  still  commoner  if  we  accepted  your 
invitation. 

(Hough)  I  believe  that  I  am  suf- 
ficiently well  beknown  to  you  all  for 
you  to  recognize  my  singleness  of  pur- 
pose. 

(Barns)  They  certainly  could  better 
recognize  your  singleness  of  purpose  if 
you  would  provide  the  doubleness  of 
vision. 

(Hough)  Bah  !  I  will  not  bandy  words 
with  you.  sir!  You  are  a  mean  spirited 
fellow,  sir. 

(Barns)  You  should  be  a  good  judge 
of  spirits,  sir. 

(Stanley)  The  gentlemen  will  refrain 
from  continuing  the  discussion.  The 
question  which  is  before  you  is  not  one 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEX. 


293 


of  church  or  tavern,  but  one  of  hats. 
Shall   they   be    removed? 

(Griswold)  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moder- 
ator, that  any  person  may  wear  his  hat 
in  town  meeting  except  when  address- 
ing  the   moderator. 

(Samuel   Yale)    I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  Gentlemen,  you  have  heard 
the  motion,  "That  any  person  may  wear 
his  hat  in  town  meeting  except  when 
addressing  the  moderator."  All  those 
in  favor  of  this  motion  will  sav  ave. 

(All)   Aye. 

(Stanley)   Contrary  minded. 

(Barns)    No. 

(Stanley    It   is   a   vote. 


CHARLES   M.   GLANTZ. 


(Hough)    Mr.    Moderator. 

(Stanley)    Dr.   Hough. 

(Hough)  With  all  due  respect  for  our 
moderator  you  will  understand  my  feel- 
ings when  I  say  that  I  am  rejoiced  to 
think  that  to-day  is  the  last  time  I 
shall  address  a  Wallingford  man  as 
presiding  ofificer  in  town  meeting.  To- 
day the  history  of  the  town  of  Meriden 
begins.  "The  days  of  our  years,"  says 
the  psalmist,  "are  three-score  years  and 
ten,  and,  if  by  reason  of  strength  th'jy 


be  fourscore  years,,  yet  is  their  strength 
labor  and  sorrow,  for  they  are  soon 
cut  off  and  we  fly  away."  Years  are 
the  one  thing  a  man  possesses  with 
which  he  would  willingly  part  were  he 
able.  You  younger  men,  some  of  you, 
are  saying  to  yourself:  "That  is  Dr. 
Hough.  He  has  more  worldly  gear  thaw 
I,  but  he  is  full  of  years.  His  stay  on 
earth  must  be  brief.  I  would  not  cliange 
places  wi.th  him."  But  I  tell  you, 
youn^  men,  neither  would  I  change 
places  with  you.  For  I  have  a  price- 
less heritage  that  you  can  never  have. 
What  does  July  the  Fourth,  1776,  mean 
to  you?  Doubless  it  means  much.  I 
hope — nay,  I  know — ^^that  when  you  hear 
the  rat-a-tat-tat  of  .the  drum  and  the 
shrill  wail  of  the  fife  your  blood  flows 
quicker  through  your  veins,  your  heart 
beats  in  time  with  the  music  and  3'ou 
feel  ready  to  sacrifice  your  life  as  your 
fathers  were  ready  when  Captain  Couch 
and  his  company  of  Meriden  men 
marched  off  to  fight  their  country's  bat- 
tles. But  brave  as  ye  are,  ready  as  ye 
are  ,to  risk  life  and  limb  and  personal 
liberty  for  your  countrj-,  that  glorious 
day,  July  Fourth,  1776,  cannot  mean 
to  you  what  it  means  to  me  and  to  oth- 
er gray-headed  fellows.  And  that  is 
why  I  would  not  change  places  with  you. 
I  would  not  for  your  youth  barter  the 
memory  of  that  day  over  thirty  years 
ago.  The  days  that  followed  were  anx- 
ious days,  hard  days,  days  of  danger. 
But  time  has  softened  their  harshness 
and  has  sanctified  them  and  I  would 
not  exchange  them  for  your  youth.  I 
have  not  forgotten  ,the  suffering  that 
they  brought.  I  am  not  among  those 
who  are  now  clamoring  for  another  war 
with  Britain.  I  do  not,  I  repeat,  forget 
the  horrors  of  war,  but  I  do  affirm  that, 
were  those  horrors  ten  times  what  they 
were,  they  were  not  too  great  a  price 
to  pay  for  liberty. 

The  occasion  to-day  is  not  altogeth- 
er similar  to  that  of  thirty  years  ago. 
We  have  not  rebelled ;  we  have  thrown 
off  no  tyrant's  yoke ;  we  have  arrived 
here  without  struggle  or  bloodshed. 
Nevertheless,  I  feel  something  of  the 
old  thrill  when  I  look  into  your  face 
and  realize  that  I  am  looking  into  the 
faces  of  fellow  citizens — fellow  citizens 
of  Meriden. 

We  who  have  worked  for  this  con- 
summation may  be  excused  if  we  give 
vent  to  our  feelings.  You  all  know  the 
history    of    the    efforts    that    are    to-dav 


294 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


crowned  with  success.  The  first  move 
was  made  before  the  war,  back  in  1773 
— a  generation  ago.  Then  it  was  peti- 
tioned that  a  part  of  the  parish  of  Mer- 
iden  be  annexed  to  Farmington  and 
transferred  to  the  county  of  Harford. 
Thirteen  years  later,  in  1786,  a  petition 
was  presenteed  asking  leave  to  be  an- 
nexed to  the  county  of  Middlesex  and 
that  we  be  incorporated  as  a  town.  This 
petition,  as  you  know,  was  opposed  at 
the  Wallingford  town  meeting  and  the 
matter  was  allowed  to  rest  untif  1794, 
when  we  again  requested  permission  to 
become  incorporated  as  a  separate  town 
and  be  annexed  to  Middlesex  county. 
A  year  later  Wallingford  threw  a  sop 
to  us,  voting  .to  hold  one-third  of  the 
selectmen's  and  one-third  of  the  free- 
men's meetings  in  Meriden.  But  the 
day  of  compromise  had  gone  by  and 
three  years  and  again  two  years  ago 
we  petitioned  for  incorporation.  There 
was  a  joint  committee  chosen  to  look 
into  the  matter  and  on  the  i8th  of  Sep- 
tember of  last  year  it  was  voted  in 
town  meeting  to  accept  the  report  of 
this  committee.  The  petition  to  the 
General  Assembly  followed  and  the  res- 
olution of  that  body  incorporating  the 
town  of  Meriden  has  been  read  this 
morning.  No  sound  of  trumpet  an- 
nounces the  triumph  of  our  patience ; 
but  a  triumph  it  is  for  all  that!  We 
may  well  clasp  hands  in  solemn  joy.  In 
all  ,the  English  language  there  is  no 
dearer,  sweeter  word  than  home.  What 
memories  cluster  around  it!  What  joys 
have  bathed  it  in  the  sunshine  of  heav- 
en ;  what  sorrows  have  kept  it  green 
with  their  tears !  A  man  may  travel 
to  the  uttermost  pants  of  the  earth,  he 
may  behold  the  wonders  of  nature  and 
the  triumphs  of  genius  in  all  lands  and 
climes;  he  may  listen  to  the  roar  of 
mighty  cataracts  or  the  harmonies  of 
earth's  great  musicians;  he  may  drink 
in  the  perfumes  of  the  gardens  of  the 
south  or  the  pine  forests  of  the  north, 
but  in  all  the  round  world  there  is  but 
one  place  he  may  call  home !  Our  home 
is  Meriden. 

In  the  years  that  are  to  come  see  that 
ye  prove  worthy  of  your  home.  The 
home  gives  love,  but  it  requires  loyalty; 
it  offers  peace  but  it  demands  protec- 
tion. The  greater  the  privileges  vouch- 
safed us  the  greater  are  the  duties  im- 
posed upon  us.  If  you  would  enjoy 
the  one  it  is  necessary  that  you  perform 
the    other.     Life,    liberty    and    the    pur- 


suit of  happiness  you  have  been  taught 
to  believe  are  your  inalienable  rights. 
So  they  are,  but  it  took  the  blood  of 
your  fathers ;  it  took  the  breaking 
hearts  of  your  mothers  through  seven 
years  of  cruel  warfare  to  establish  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine.  Neither  will 
your  privileges  as  citizens  of  Meriden 
be  lightly  given.  In  this  world  we  pay 
for  wha  we  get.  You  must  pay  for 
your  privileges  by  the  performance  of 
your  duties. 

But  I  will  cease  to  preach  lest  you 
think  me  a  fault  finder.  The  growler 
should  be  one  of  two  things — a  reformer 
or  a  stage  coach  driver.  We  need  re- 
formers— men  who  growl  to  some  pur- 
pose— but  men  who  growl  to  no  pur- 
pose should  drive  coaches — and  sleep  in 
'em. 

I  would  only  urge,  then,  that  you 
remember  that  Meriden  is  your  mother 
town — a  mother  to  be  guarded  from  all 
ills,  to  be  honored  amidst  good  and  evil 
fortune,  to  be  revered  and  loved,  in 
sunshine  and  storm,  a  mother  to  whom 
you  are  loyal,  not  because  she  demands 
loyalty  but  because  you  cannot  help  but 
give  it. 

(Peck,  Royce  and  Prindle  all  jump 
up) 

(Royce)  Mr.  Moderator  (speaks 
quickly) 

(Prindle)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  believe  I 
have  the  fioor. 

(Peck)    Hey,  you. 

(Royce)   Mr.  Moderator! 

(Prindle)  Have  I  the  floor? 

(Peck)    Say! 

(Stanley)  Sir,  I  do  not  know  your 
name. 

(Peck)   Herodotus  Peck. 

(Royce)    Absalom  Royce. 

(Prindle)  Sir,  my  name  is  Ebenezer 
Prindle. 

(Stanley)  I  refer  to  you,  the  gentle- 
man with  the — ,the — 

(Barns)    The   face? 

(Stanley  )The  gentleman  with  the  red 
hair. 

(Peck)    Me? 

(Stanley)  Yes,  sir.  Do  you  wish 
to  address  the  chair? 

(Peck)  No,  sir,  I  was  just  goin'  to 
say — 

(Prindle)  If  the  gentleman  was  not 
going  to  address  the  chair  I  believe  that 
I  have  the  floor. 

(Royce)    Mr.   Moderator! 

(Stanley)  Did  the  gentleman  wish  to 
oflFer   any   observations? 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


295 


(Peck)    No,   sir,   I   was  goin'  to  sa>  — 

(Prindle)  The  gentleman  is  out  of 
order.  Mr.  Moderator,  have  I  the 
floor? 

(Stanley)  No,  sir,  you  have  not.  Not 
until  this  other  gentleman  has  had  op- 
portunity to  express  his  views — if  he  has 
any. 

(Barns)  If  he  hasn't  any  he'll  be  in 
line  with  previous  speakers. 

(Stanley)  If  any  one  here  present  so 
far  forgets  himself  as  to  speak  without 
first  being  recognized  by  the  chair,  the 
chair  will  be  under  the  disagreeable 
necessity  of  causing  his  ejectment.  And 
now,  again,  I  ask,  sir,  do  you  wish  to 
make  any  remarks  or  present  any  res- 
olution. 

(Peck)   No,  sir,  I  was  just— 

(Prindle)  Air.  Moderator,  have  I  the 
floor? 

(Stanley)  If  you  have  nothing  to  say, 
sir^ 

(Peck)  Oh,  I  have.  Master  Stanley, 
I've  much  to  say. 

(Stanley)  You  have  the  floor,  sir, 
(pause)  You  have  the  floor,  sir.  What 
is  it  you  wish  to  say,  sir? 

(Peck)  I  vum  to  goodness  if  I  hain't 
forgot.    (Sits  down) 

(Prindle)  Mr.  Moderator,  have  I  the 
floor? 

(Barns)  (aside)  Oh,  take  the  floor 
and   everything  on   it. 

(Royce)  Mr.  Moderator,  am  I  to  be 
tyrannized   over   this   way,   any   longer? 

(Stanley)  I  believe,  sir,  you  are  en- 
titled to  be  heard  next. 

(Prindle)  Mr.  Moderator,  does  that 
mean  that  I  have  not  the  floor? 

(Stanley)  It  means  that  this  gentle- 
man is  entitled  to  be  heard  (Prindle  sits 
down) 

(Royce)  When  in  the  course  of 
human  events — When  in  the  course  of 
human  events — when  in  .the  course  of 
human — What  are  we'  here  for?  What 
are  we — Why — What  for?  Ain't  it  be- 
cause we  is  free  American  citizens? 
Aint  it  because  the  American  eagle,  the 
greatest  bird  of — the  greatest  bird  of — • 
of  prey — is  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica. I  repeat,  the  United  States  of 
America.  Because  that  there  bird  is 
alooking  down  on  us  free  American 
citizens  and  because  we  have  threw  the 
tyrant's  yoke  off  of  us — When  the  bul- 
lets was  flyin'  thickest  where  was  the 
men  of  Meriden?  When  we  caught  the 
British  lion  by  the  tail  and  twisted  it 
till  he  could  neither  lay  nor  set — 


(Barns  aside)  He'd  ought  to  tried 
roostin'. 

(Royce) — Twisted  it  till  he  gave  up 
his  sword  and  surrendered — I  say 
where  was  we — that  is,  them  of  us  as 
was  born  then  and  old  enough — where 
was  we?  Ah!  fightin'  for  our  liberty!! 
That's  why  I  say  I  would  give  my  life 
for  my  town !  I  tell  you  that  when 
I  think  of  what  we  endured — them  of 
us  that  was  old  enough — what  we  en- 
dured— endured.  In  the  words  of 
Patterick  Hei\ry — Patterick  Henry.  I 
say,  in  the  words  of  Patterick  Hen — 
in  them  words  you  all  know  so  well 
and  which  I  won't  bother  to  repeat.  I 
say,    in    them    words.     That's    what    I 


ROSWELL   B.   HYATT. 

would  have  said  in  the  same  place- 
When  we  went  out  to  fight  the  red 
coats — that  is,  I  would  have  went  if  I'd 
been  old  enough — when  we  went  out  to 
fight  the  redcoats — what  was  it  that  in- 
spired us?  Was  it  gold?  No,  Was  it 
silver?  No.  Was  it  wealth?  No.  Was 
it  liberty?  No — yes,  I  mean.  What  is 
it  now?  Ditto.  To-day  we  are  free- 
Yesterday  we  was  under  the  graspin' 
heel  of  Wallingford.  To-day  we're  un- 
der our  own.  Yes,  Mr.  Moderator,  I 
repeat    the    declaration    and    I    do    not 


296 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


believe  there  is  a  man,  woman  or  child 
in  this  meetin'  house  who  has  arrived 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years  and  upwards 
but  has  felt  the  truth  thundering  through 
their  brains  for  centuries.  What  is  lib- 
erty. Aain't  it  worth  havin'?  Of  course 
it  is  and  I  hurl  defiance  in  the  teeth  of 
Wallingford.     Let  her  face  it  if  she  can. 

(Hough)  Before  proceeding  further 
I  would  suggest  the  election  of  the  of- 
ficers necessary  to  the  conduct  of  this 
town. 

(Stanley)  I  think  Dr.  Hough's  sug- 
gestion  is  eminently  proper. 

(Barns)    Mr.    Moderator. 

(Stanley)  Master  Barns. 


DR.    G.    A.   HILL. 

(Barns)  I  move  you.  Mr.  Moderator, 
that  Dr.  Hough  be  elected  to  every  of- 
fice, so's  he  can  be  the  whole  tarnal 
shootin*   match   and   done   with   it. 

(Stanley)  Master  Barns,  your  words 
are  entirely  out  of  order.  Shall  we 
proceed  to  the  election  of  officers?  If 
there   is   no  objection,   we   will   do  so. 

(Griswold)  I 'move  you,  Mr.  Modera- 
tor, that  Amos  White  be  elected  town 
clerk. 

(Barns)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  would 
second  that  mo.tion — if  agreeable  to 
Dr.  Hough.  (Stanley  pauses  and  glares) 


(Stanley)  The  motion  is  made  and 
seconded  that  Amos  White  be  elected 
town    clerk.     All    those    in    favor    of — 

(All)   Aye. 

(Barns)    If  agreeable  to  Dr.   Hough. 

(Stanley)  Those  opposed.  It  is  a 
vote  and  Amos  White  is  elected  town 
clerk.  It  is  necessary  that  you  elect 
three  selectmen. 

(Griswold)  I  propose  the  name  of 
Capt.  Ezekiel  Rice. 

(Preston)    I  second  it. 

(Ripley)  I  would  name  as  another 
of  the  three,  Ambrose  Hough. 

(Barns)  Good!  Get  a  Hough  on.  This 
one  don't  run  a  tavern  but  he  owns  a 
gin  mill. 

(  Stanley)  Master  Barns,  if  you  dis- 
turb the  meeting  but  once  more,  I  shall 
take  steps  to  have  you  ejected  from  the 
meeting. 

(Barns)  Better  wait  till  you  elect 
constables. 

(Preston)  I  second  Parson  Ripley's 
motion. 

(Griswold)  I  would  name  Stephen 
Bailey  as  the  third  selectman. 

(Dr.   Hough)    I   second   that  motion. 

(Stanley)  Capt.  Ezekiel  Rice,  Am- 
brose Hough  and  Stephen  Bailey  are 
named  for  selectmen  of  the  town  of 
Meriden.  All  those  in  favor  of  these 
.three  gentlemen. 

(All)  Aye.' 

(Stanley)  It  is  a  vote.  We  will  now 
proceed  to  elect  two  constables. 

(Griswold)  I  would  name  Jared  Ben- 
ham  and  Eli  Barnes. 

(Stanley)    Barnes? 

(Griswold)  Eli  Barnes,  sir,  not  Moses 
Barns. 

(Dr.  Hough)   I  second  the  motion. 

(Stanley)  All  those  in  favor  of  Jared 
Benham  and  Eli  Barnes  for  constables 
say  aye. 

(All)  Aye. 

(Barns)  If  agreeable  to  Dr.  Hough. 

(Griswold)  I  move  you,  Mr-  Modera- 
tor, that  Moses  Barns  be  not  allowed  to 
vote  in  this  meeting. 

(Preston)   I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  You  have  heard  the  mo- 
tion— 

(All  )Aye! 

(Stanley)   It  is  a  vote. 

(Barns)  I  protest.  I— I— Mr.  Modera- 
tor, what  are  our  liberties?  Where  are 
our  rights?  Can  they  be  voted  away  in 
this  here  manner?  For  what  did  we  suf- 
fer seven  long  years  of  war — endure 
wounds — 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


297 


(Preston)  I'll  wager  .vou  never  smelt 
powder   smoke. 

( Barns)   Where,  where — I  say  where— 

(Pres,ton)  Where?  You're  in  Meriden. 
Did  you  think  you  was  still  in  Cheshire  ? 

(Barns) — I    protest— I    tell    you — 

(Stanley)  Constables,  do  your  duty. 

(Barns)  I'll  be  quiet  (drops  into 
seat) 

(Prindle)   Mr.  Moderator — 

(Stanley)    Master    Prindle. 

(Prindle)    Have  I  the  floor? 

(Stanley)   You  have,  sir. 

(Prindle)  Mr.  Moderator  (bows) 
and  feller  citizens  (bows).  All  men  are 
born  free  and  equal,  but  most  of  us 
outgrow  it.  Them  of  us  as  has  lived 
here  all  our  lives  know  that.  Them 
that  comes  from  other  places — like 
Cheshire — has    to    learn    it.     Now— 

(Ripley)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  object. 
We  are  engaged  in  electing  town  offi- 
cers. The  speaker  should  confine  him- 
self to  the  subject.  He  is  out  of  order. 
(Prindle  pauses) 

(Prindle)  If  I  was  so  unlucky  us  to 
have  a  durn  stupid  son,  I  certainly  would 
make  him  a  parson. 

(Ripley)  'Tis  a  pity  your  father  did 
not  think  as  you  do. 

(Stanley)  The  gentleman  will  confine 
himself  to  the  matter  under  discussion 
— the  election  of  town  officers. 

(Prindle  bows) 

(Prindle)  Regarding  these  officers, 
Mr.  Moderator,  I  wish  to  say  that  I 
don't  pretend  to  be  no  orator.  I  aint 
goin'  to  make  a  speech.  There  be 
them  that  think  that  all  they  got  to 
do  is  to  stand  up  and  draw  the  cork 
and  the  English  language  will  run  nit 
of  'em.  I  ain't  of  that  kind,  Mr.  Mod- 
erator. I  know  I  have  my  faults  a  it  I 
some  of  'em  I've  got  bad,  but  just  be- 
cause I  can't  talk  about  birds  of  prey 
and  lions  with  knots  in  their  tails  I 
aint  agoin  to  hide  what  talents  I  have 
got  under  a  bushel.  I  may  be  modest, 
but  I  aint  goin'  to  be  too  durned  modest. 
What  I  believe  I  believe  and  I'm  a 
goin'  to  say  so  even  if  I  know  I'm 
wrong.  I  admire  a  man  that'll  stick 
to  his  own  opinion  just  cause  it  is  hisen. 

(Griswold)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  protest. 

(Prindle)  And  just  so  regardin'  these 
town  officers.  They  may  know  they 
ain't   fit   to   be   town   officers — 

(Griswold)   Mr.  Moderator,  I  protest. 

(Prindle)   Of  course  they  are  fit,  but 

even    if    they    know    they    ain't.    Same 

wav  as  that  feller  from  York  state  that 


stopped  here  a  few  weeks  ago.  He  told 
me  of  a  man  named  Fulton  up  in  his 
state  that  was  making  a  boat  to  go  by 
hot  water  instead  of  sails — a  steamboat- 
he  calls  it.  Now  it  stands  to  reason 
that  there  boat'll  never  go  and  that  that 
feller  Fulton  probably  knows  "twont.  by 
now.  But  he's  stickin  'to  the  idee  just 
the  same.  Now  I  don't  believe  in  this 
here  kine  pox  and  I  bet  some  of  the 
doctors  don't.  But  I  never  knew  a  doc- 
tor who'd  own  up  he'd  made  a  mistake 
and  he'd  pump  you  full  of  sick  cow  be- 
fore he'd  say  he  was  wrong. 


FRANK  L.  BURLEIGH. 

(Griswold)  Mr.  Moderator. 

(Prindle)  And  just  so  regarding  town 
officers.     They — 

(Stanley)  You  are  going  to  confine 
yourself  to  the  matter  under  discussion, 
"the  election  of  town  officers,  are  you 
not.  Master  Prindle? 

(Prindle)  Yes,  Mr.  Moderator,  I  cer- 
tainly, shall  do  so.  I  know  what  I'm 
adoin !  I  aint  like  Sam  Yale's  boy.  Sam 
told  the  boy  to  sharpen  up  his  tools 
while  Sam  was  away.  Bimeby  he  come 
back.  "Have  you  sharpened  them  tools?" 
he  says.  "Yes,"  says  the  boy,  "all  but 
the    saw.     I    couldn't   quite   get   all    the 


298 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


gaps  out  of  that."  Not  but  what  Sam 
Yale — 

(Griswold)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  rise  to 
a  point  of  order.  The  speaker  is  not 
confining  himself  to  the  question  under 
discussion. 

(Stanley)  The  gentleman  will  con- 
fine himself  to  the  matter  under  discus- 
sion. 

(Prindle)  Thank  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 
and  you,  sir,  for  reminding  me.  I  am 
sometimes  forgetful.  Like  Captain 
Ezekiel  Rice,  I'm  absent-minded.  As 
you  all  know,  the  captain's  so  absent 
minded  that  once  when  he  fell  into 
Black  Pond  he  sunk  twice  before  he  re- 
membered he  could  swim.  But  regard- 
ing these  officers,  I  hate  to  criticize,, 
for  of  all  the  5,300,000  inhabitants  of 
the  United  States  the  most  important 
is  the  man  who  has  just  been  elected 
to  town  office.  You  kin  laugh,  but  it's 
so.  You'd  feel  as  big  as  the  rest  of 
'em  if  you  was  elected.  It  all  depends 
on — 

(All)   Sit  down!  Sit  down! 

(Prindle)  I'll  sit  down  when  I  get 
through  talkin'. 

(Stanley)  Master  Prindle,  we  still 
have  a  number  of  officers  to  elect,  and, 
as  you  refuse  to  confine  yourself  to  the 
matter  in  hand,  I  shall  ask  you  to  sit 
.down. 

(Prindle)  Certainly.  I've  said  what 
I  wanted  to  say.    (Sits  down) 

(Stanley)  We  will  proceed  to  the 
election   of  grand   jurors. 

(Preston)  I  would  propose  the  name 
of  Enos  Hall,  2nd,  (jiles  O-  Griswold 
and  Joseph  Hall. 

(Stanley)  All  those  in  favor  of  Enos 
Hall,  2nd,  Giles  O.  Griswold  and  Jo- 
seph  Hall   for  grand  jurors,   say   aye. 

(All)  Aye. 

(  )   I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Samuel  Yale,  Asahel  Yale,  Jehu 
Preston,  Harvey  Andrews,  Aaron  Mer- 
riam,  Benjamin  Merriam,  2nd,  and  Levi 
Hall  be  surveyors  of  highways  for  this 
town. 

[The  following  motions  by  various 
electors.] 

(  )    I   second  the  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(  )  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Nathaniel  Yale,  Stephen  Perkins 
and  Ensign  Hough  be  chosen  fence 
viewers. 

(  )  I  second  the  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 


(  )   I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator 

that  Seth  D.  Plum,  Titus  Ives  and  Asa- 
hel Merriam  be  chosen  listers  for  this 
town. 

(  )   I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(  )  I  m/ve  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Captain  William  Olds  be  chosen 
sealer  of  leather. 

(Prindle)   I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(  )  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Samuel  Yale  be  chosen  sealer  of 
weights  and  measures. 

(  )    I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(  )   I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Daniel  Yale  be  chosen  sealer  of 
dry   measures. 

(  )    I   second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(  )  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 

that  Eli  Barnes,  Nathaniel  Yale,  Levi 
Foster,  Israel  Hall  and  Elisha  Merriam 
be   chosen  pound   keepers. 

(  )    I  second  that  motion. 

(Stanley)  (carried) 

(Hough)  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator, 
that  the  keepers  of  pounds  provide 
their  pounds  free  of  expense  to  the 
town. 

Seconded,    etc.     (carried) 

(Griswold)  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moder- 
ator that  a  tax  be  laid  for  the  purpose 
of  defraying  the  debts  and  expenses  to 
which  his  own  now  is  or  maj'^  be  liable. 

(carried) 

(Dr.  Hough)  I  move  you,  Mr.  Mod- 
erator that  a  tax  of  five  mills  on  the 
dollar  on  the  list  for  August  20th,  1805, 
be  granted  and  collecter  for  the  pur- 
pose of  defraying  the  debts  and  ex- 
penses to  which  the  town  is  or  may  be 
liable  and  that  the  same  be  collected 
and  paid  to  the  town  treasurer  within 
thirtv  davs. 

(Prindle)    Mr.   Moderator. 

(Stanley)   Master  Prindle. 

(Prindle)  Did  I  understand  the  gen- 
tleman to  say  five  mills? 

(Stanley)    You  did. 

(Prindle)  It  strikes  me,  Mr.  Moder- 
ator, that  five  mills  is  pooty  steep.  Some 
that's  here  no  doubt  could  pay  five 
mills- 

(Barns)  Selectman  Ambrose  Hough 
has  two  mills — a  grist  mill  and  a  gin 
mill.     He   could — 

(Stanley)  Constables,  if  this  man  sees 
fit  to  make  himself  objectionable  once 
more  you  will  eject  him. 


299 


(Prindle)  Doesn't  it  strike  you  your- 
self, Mr.  Moderator,  that  five  mills  is 
pooty   steep  ? 

(Stanley)  That  is  a  question  for  the 
electors  of  this  town  to  determine. 

(Royce)  Five  mills!  What  is  five  mills 
when  you  put  it  over  agin  patriotism? 
What  is  five — nay,  ten  mills — 

(Griswold)  Very  little,  I  dare  say,  if 
you  don't  happen  to  own  any  taxable 
property. 

(Royce)  I  should  think  exactly  the 
same  if  I  owned  as  much  taxable  prop- 
erty as  the  gentleman  who  has  just 
passed  that  slurring  remark. 

(Griswold)  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
gentleman  honestly  believes  he  would, 
but  there  is  nothing  like  the  possession 
of  money  to  change  one's  point  of  view- 
Now,  as  to  this  question  of  a  tax  of 
five  mills.  Five  mills  on  the  dollar 
appears  to  me  to  be  extravagance.  What 
could  we  use  the  money  for? 

(Dr.  Hough)  If  ,the  gentleman  will 
stop  to  think,  he  will  call  to  mind  a 
number  of  ways  in  which  the  money 
might  be  expended  without  incurring 
the   charge   of   extravagance. 

(Prindle)  Perhaps  ,the  doctor  would 
have  us  drain  Pilgrims'  Harbor  Swamp. 

(Dr.  Hough)  What  I  should  like  to 
see  done  would  be  the  closing  of  the 
old  road  over  Meeting  House  Hill  and 
the  building  of  a  new  one — 

(Deacon  Mitchell)  Hey!  What's  that? 
What's  the  matter  with  the  present 
road,  Fd  like  to  know?  Aint  it  conven- 
ient? 

(Prindle)  It's  the  most  convenient 
road  to  Deacon  Mitchell's  tan  yard. 
Was  you   thinking  of  that.   Deacon? 

(Mitchell)  I  wasn't  naturally  forget- 
tin'   it  entirely. 

(Dr.  Hough)  The  abandonment  of 
the  old  road  might  work  harm  to  an 
individual,  but  I  believe  it  would  be 
better  for  the  communitv  to  close  the 
old  road. 

(Mitchell)  No  doubt  you'd  sit  still 
and  see  the  turnpike  laid  out  a  mile  or 
two  away  from  your  tavern  if  it  was 
for  the  good  of  the  community. 

(Stanley;  Gentlemen,  we  are  not  dis- 
cussing roads  but  taxes.  Dr.  Hough  has 
made  a  motion  to  .the  effect  that  a  tax 
of  five  mills  on  the  dollar  be  laid. 

(Ripley)    I   second   that  motion. 

(Stanley)  All  those  in  favor  (etc) 
(passed) 

(Preston)    I   move     you     .that   Abner 


Griswold  be  elected  collector  to  collect 
the    ta.x    laid    this    day. 

(Hough  seconding)    (Carried) 

(Preston)  I  move  that  Samuel  Yale 
be  chosen  town  treasurer.  (Seconded 
and  passed) 

(Griswold)  Mr.  Moderator,  I  move 
you  that  a  committee  of  four  persons 
be  appointed  to  settle  and  adjust  all 
business  between  this  town  and  the 
town  of  Wallingford  respecting  the 
town  poor  and  all  other  business  that 
shall  be  found  necessary  for  said  com- 
mittee to   do. 

(Preston  seconds  and  passed) 


REV.  A.  \V.  SHAW. 

(Griswold)  1  would  propose  as  mem- 
bers of  that  committee  our  .three  se- 
lectmen. Captain  Ezekiel  Rice,  Am- 
brose Hough  and  Stephen  Bailey,  and 
also  Eli  Barnes.  (Preston  seconds. 
Passed) 

(Peck)   Say! 

(Stanley)   Master  Peck? 

(Peck)    I   jus,t  thought  of  it. 

(Stanley)  Thought  of  what,  Master 
Peck. 

(Peck)  \Vhv,  what  I  was  goin'  to  say. 

(Stanley)  Well? 


300 


CENTENNIAL  OF  MERIDEN. 


(Peck)  What  I  was  just  goin'  to  say 
was  that  we  ought  to  make  a  law  keep- 
in'  them  blame  geese  off  the  road,  (sits 
down)     (laughter) 

(Griswold)  Master  Peck  has  the  right 
idea,  if  expressed  in  terms  not  alto- 
gether parliamentary  and  I  think  he 
will  find  that  the  following  resolutions 
cover  the  matter,    (reads) 

"Voted  :  That  no  horse,  kine  or  neat 
cattle  shall  be  allowed  to  run  at  large 
on  the  highway  or  commons  of  the 
Town. 

"That  sheep  shall  not  be  allowed  to 
run  at  large  on  the  Commons  in  this 
Town. 


WILLIS  J.  PROUTY. 

"That  if  the  owner  of  any  boar  shall 
suffer  him  to  run  at  large  when  more 
than  three  months  old,  he  shall  be  lia- 
ble to  pay  a  fine  of  one  dollar. 

"That  geese  shall  not  be  suffered  to 
run  at  large  on  the  highway  unless  they 
are  well  yoaked." 

(Stanley)  Is  there  any  other  busi- 
ness to  come  before  this  meeting? 

(Mitchell)    Mr.   Moderator. 

(Stanley)    Master  Mitchell,, 

(Mitchell)  I  move  you,  Mr.  Moderator 
that    the    bill    in    form    granted    by    the 


General  Assembly  for  incorporating 
Meriden  into  a  Town  distinct  from  the 
Town  of  Wallingford,  be  recorded  ui  the 
beginning  of  the  Town  Book  for  ir- 
cording  deeds  of  land,  etc. 

(Seconded,  etc.,  and  passed) 

(Griswold  proposes  "That  the  select- 
men of  this  town  be  allowed  to  give  and 
take  deeds  in  behalf  of  this  town  at  their 
discretion")     (Passed) 

(Preston)  "That  the  selectmen  shall 
warn  a  town  meeting  to  be  holden  at 
the  meeting  house  in  Merideii  on  the 
second  Tuesday  of  November  next." 
(Passed) 

(Preston)   I  move  we  adjourn. 

(Royce)    I    second  that  motion. 

(general  movement  to  leave") 

(Hough)  Gentlemen,  one  moment. 
What  we  have  done  to-day  has  made 
histor\'.  We  have  been  present  at  the 
birth  of  a  town — our  town.  Our  first 
town  meeting  is  now  a  thinq  of  the 
past.  For  good  or  for  ill  we  have  sev- 
ered the  ties  that  for  many  years  have 
bound  us  to  our  mother  town.  Some 
of  us  have  realized  the  miportance  of 
what  we  have  done  to-day;  others  have 
been  imbued  with  a  spirit  of  frivolity. 
Throughout  the  proceedings  we  have 
worn  our  hats,  as  we  had  the  right  to 
do.  But  now  I  ask  you  to  remove  your 
hats  while  Pastor  Ripley  asks  guidance 
from  above,  (all  remove  hats  and 
stand) 

(Ripley)  Throughout  the  years,  O, 
God,  be  with  us  and  our  descendants. 
Guide  us  and  them.  May  our  children 
and  our  children's  children  find  cause 
for  pride   in   that  they  be   of   Meriden. 

The  "First  Town  Meeting,"  which 
was  reproduced,  is  printed  in  full 
as  above.  The  town  records  fur- 
nished the  skeleton  for  the  play,  con- 
taining as  they  did  the  votes  passed  and 
the  officers  elected.  Every  vote  "passed" 
in  the  play  was  actually  passed  lOO 
years  ago  and  every  officer  "elected" 
to-day  was  elected  June  i6,  1806. 
Some  of  these  votes  might  have  been 
omitted — speaking  merely  from  a  dra- 
matic standpoint — but  Sherman  F.  John- 
son, the  author,  believed  in  making  the 
play  as  genuine  a  reproduction  of  the 
original  meeting  as  the  scanty  material 
at  hand  would  allow. 

All  the  speeches,  dialogue  and  the  dis- 
cussion of  various  motions  that  are  not 
actually  passed  are  imaginary.  Some 
of    the    questions    that    arose,    such    as 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


301 


the  objection  to  meeting  in  the  Con- 
gregational church,  etc.,  really  came  up 
at  later  meetings. 

Before  writing  the  play  Mr.  Johnson 
studied  Dr.  Davis'  and  Perkins'  histo- 
ries, Mrs.  Breckenridge's  (Faith's) 
"Recollections      of      a    New      England 


Town,"  and  received  many  suggestions 
from  George  M.  Curtis,  whose  history 
of  Meriden  has  just  been  published. 

All  the  characters  in  the  play  with 
the  exception  of  Herodotus  Peck,  Ab- 
salom Royce  and  Hezekiah  Prindle, 
are  historical. 


HISTORICAL    ADDRESSES 


Following  is  the  introductory  ad- 
dress given  by  George  M.  Curtis  at 
ttie  Historical  exercises  on  Saturday 
afternoon  at  the  First  Congregation- 
al church: 

I  think  it  was  the  poet  Coleridge 
who  said  that  he  once  met  a  man 
who  was  so  inspired  by  a  belief  in 
his  own  importance,  that  he  always 
took  off  his  hat  with  profound  re- 
spect when  he  ventured  to  speak  of 
himself. 

This  eccentricity  of  temperament 
is  very  much  akin  to  the  periodic  at- 
tacks to  which  most  of  our  modern 
American  communities  are  subject. 
They  all  sooner  or  later  arrive  at  a 
year  when  it  seems  appropriate  that 
hats  should  be  removed  with  pro- 
found respect  while  in  terms  of 
glowing  color  the  deeds  of  the  past 
are  pictured  and  municipal  self  glori- 
fication is  the  order  of  the  day. 

To  me  it  seems  admirable  that  a 
people  should  peruse  now  and  then 
in  this  busy  rush  and  in  prose  and 
poetry  relate  the  work  that  has  been 
done,  record  the  virtues  of  the  fath- 
ers, point  with  pride  to  the  past  and 
look  to  the  future  witn  confidence. 
It  is  inspiring  and  it  is  ennobling. 

At  last  the  day  has  come  when 
Meriden  has  arrived  at  a  mile  stone 
in  her  career,  when  she,  too,  can  look 
to  the  past  and  point  with  pride  to 
the  work  that  has  been  done,  relate 
the  virtues  of  the  pioneers,  and  with 
courage  gird  her  loins  for  the  work 
that  is  to  come. 

With  joy  and  mirth  we  have  spent 
the  week  in  glad  abstraction,  with 
old  friends,  and  found  new  ones,  and 
now  this  afternoon  and  evening  we 
are  to  listen  to  the  tales  of  fathers 
and  thus  our  Centennial  celebration 
will  be  an  event  of  the  past. 


Compared  with  the  age  of  some  of 
our  neighbors,  Meriden's  100  years 
of  municipal  existence  is  a  very  mod- 
erate period  of  time.  And  yet  when 
one  pictures  the  events  that  have  oc- 
curred during  this  century,  June  16, 
1806,   seems  very   remote 

On  the  day  when  the  tiny  hamlet 
first  came  together  in  town  meeting 
assembled,  Thomas  Jefferson  was 
President  of  the  United  States, 
George  tne  III.  was  still  king  of  Eng- 
land, Napoleon  the  Great,  was  ruling 
in  France,  no  steam  railroad  was  in 
existence,  modern  necessities  were 
unheard  of  and  there  had  been  little 
change  in  the  manner  of  living  since 
the  days  of  the  pioneers.  Measured 
by  events  the  gap  is  tremendous. 

Before  I  conclude  these  introduct- 
ory remarks,  I  must  refer  to  an  event 
that  has  filled  with  sadness  tne 
whole  community,  and  has  been  par- 
ticularly felt  by  the  members  of  the 
General  Centennial  committee.  I 
allude  to  the  death  of  Judge  Wilbur 
F.  Davis,  who  left  us  just  before  the 
opening  of  our  gala  week. 

Indefatigable  in  his  work  on  the 
committee,  wise  in  council,  truthful 
and  resourceful  in  emergencies,  a 
large  part  of  our  Centennial  work 
we  owe  to  the  labors  of  that  good 
citizen,  able  lawyer  and  honest  man. 


BY    HON.    SIMEON    E.    BALDWIN. 

Judge  Simeon  E.  Baldwin  address- 
ed the  assemblage  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  American  Historical  asso- 
ciation and  of  the  New  Haven  Col- 
ony Historical  society.  His  address 
\^■as  as  follows: 

I  have  the  honor  of  appearing  be- 
fore  you   this   afternoon   in   a   double 


302 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


capacity.  I  come  to  bring  the  good 
wishes  and  congratulations  both  oi' 
the  National  society,  which  exists 
for  the  promotion  of  historical  in- 
vestigation and  of  the  local  society 
formed  for  similar  purposes  in  its 
own  field— and  that  field  the  one  of 
which  ]\Ieriden  forms  a  part. 

In  behalf  of  the  American  Histor- 
ical association  there  is  a  special  rea- 
son for  its  representation  here,  for 
Meriden  has  the  honor  of  having 
been  the  theme  of  one  of  the  earliest 
town  histories  that  deserve  the  name 
published  in  the  United  States. 


HON.    SIMEON    E.    BALDWIN. 

The  little  History  of  Meriden,  pub- 
lished more  than  half  a  century  ago 
by  the  pastor  of  your  old  first  church, 
now  housed  in  this  splendid  edifice, 
Rev.  George  W.  Perkins  (afterwards 
pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
church  of  Chicago),  was  a  piece  of 
good  work,  conscientiously  and 
thoroughly  done.  It  was  the  result 
of  first-hand  investigations  and  in- 
quiries personally  made.  It  has  pre- 
served traditions  and  memories  that 
else  long  since  might  have  vanisted 
away. 


If  in  every  state  of  the  Union,  t!  ere 
had  been  more  men  like  your  first 
historian,  the  labors  of  the  American 
Historical  association  would  be  far 
lighter    to-day. 

As  a  delegate  from  the  New  Ha- 
ven Colony  Historical  society,  I  come 
from  an  organization  to  which  some 
citizens  of  Meriden  belong,  and  which 
takes  a  peculiar  interest  in  this  place 
as  one  of  the  six  cities  that  have 
sprung  out  of  the  ancient  Colony  of 
New  Haven. 

Here  we  stand  on  soil  that  was 
bought  in  1638  by  Theophilous  Eat- 
on and  his  company  of  settlers  at 
Quinnipiack-  If  New  Haven  colony 
has  disappeared.  New  Haven  county 
remains  and  the  cities  of  New  Ha- 
ven and  Meriden  and  Waterbury  are 
alike  proud  to  be  members  of  that 
great  political  community.  The  state 
of  Connecticut,  which  200  years  ago, 
under  the  compelling  force  of  a  roy- 
al charter,  swallowed  up  the  little 
colony  of  New  Haven,  bears  upon  her 
seal  the  three  vines  which  stand  for 
her  first  three  towns,  Hartford, 
Windsor  and  Wethersfield.  This 
county  of  New  Haven,  successor  to 
the  colony  of  New  Haven,  or  most 
of  it,  has  her  three  vines  in  New  Ha- 
ven, Waterbury  and  Meriden.  There 
are  few  counties  in  the  United  States 
and  I  doubt  if  there  are  any  which 
can  boast  of  the  presence  of  three 
such  cities.  The  whole  population 
of  Hawaii  is  less  than  that  of  New 
Haven  county.  Our  population  in 
1900  was  about  270,000;  greater 
than  that  of  New  London,  Windham, 
Litchfield,  Middlesex  and  Tolland  put 
together;  greater  also  than  either  of 
seven  states  of  the  American  Union, 
(Delaware,  Idaho,  Montana,  Nevada, 
North  Dakota,  Utah  or  Wyoming) 
and  of  three  of  these  put  together; 
greater — to  look  farther  off — than 
four  of  the  states  of  the  German  Em- 
pire put  together.  To-day  our  peo- 
ple   probably   number    300,000. 

And  what  is  it  that  has  brought 
these  great  masses  of  people  to- 
gether on  so  small  a  territory?  It 
is  their  intelligence — the  intelligence 
first  that  shows  itseli  in  the  work 
shop,  and  second  that  shows  itself 
in   the   school    and    university. 

Connecticut  was  once  an  agricul- 
tural state.  It  was  here  that  Wash- 
ington  looked   for   the   supplies    that 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


303 


fed  his  army  in  Massacliusetts  and 
in  New  York. 

Slie  cannot  now  feed  her  own  peo- 
ple. At  least  she  does  not.  She 
knows  better.  She  lets  the  far  west 
feed  them,  because  her  people  can  do 
something  better  with  their  hands 
and    brains. 

The  people  of  Connecticut  can  take 
a  spot  of  earth  like  this,  rough  hills, 
far  from  the  sea,  with  no  streams  to 
furnish  any  considerable  power,  and 
by  their  inventive  faculty,  their 
quick  eye  and  ready  hand,  their  wise 
economy,  their  watch  of  markets  and 
creation  of  markets,  turn  it  into  a 
city,  whose  products  go  into  every 
continent.  I  have  heard  of  a 
Connecticut  man  who  was  traveling 
in  Europe  and  went  to  the  great  fair 
in  Northern  Russia.  He  found  a  bit 
of  silverware  so  curiously  and  beau- 
tifully finished  that  it  took  his  fancy. 
He  bought  it,  and  on  his  return  was 
showing  it  to  a  friend  as  a  proof  of 
Russian  taste  and  skill,  when  he  was 
told  that  it  was  made  in  Meriden, 
and  shown  the  mark   that  proved   it. 

Connecticut  factories  flourish,  not 
because  they  are  near  the  coal  fields; 
not  because  they  are  near  the  mines, 
fields  or  forests  whence  comes  their 
raw  material;  but  because  labor  is 
nowhere  more  intelligent,  and  capital 
nowhere  more  loyal  to  the  place 
where  it  was  accumulated. 

I  was  talking  recently  to  a  large 
manufacturer,  of  the  future  of  Con- 
necticut. It  is  of  little  consequence, 
he  said,  to  a  manufacturer  whether 
he  has  water  power  or  coal  supply. 
He  must  be  near  intelligent  labor. 
Intelligent  labor  is  hard  to  move. 

It  has  its  roots  in  local  patriotism. 

Local  patriotism!  Here  is,  after 
all,  the  main  secret  of  Meriden's  pros- 
perity. These  great  factories  are 
here  because  their  owners  or  their 
fathers  have  made  their  money  here 
and  wish  to  keep  it  here;  because 
their  best  workmen  have  been  born 
and  bred  here,  and  feel  identified 
with  the  city  of  their  home. 

Days  like  this  keep  such  feelings 
warm.  Sentiment  is  the  king  that 
rules  the  action  of  mankind,  and  no- 
where else  has  it  a  better  foundation 
of  every  day,  practical  intelligence 
and  sound  common  sense. 

The  American  Historical  associa- 
tion and  the  New  Haven  Colony  His- 
torical society  join  with  all  sincerity 


their  congratulations  with  yours  to 
meet  the  Silver  city  as  she  enters  on 
her  second  century.  Its  close  will 
find  her  far  greater  in  population. 
Let  us  ask  no  more  than  that  it  will 
find  her  as  great  in  the  public  spirit 
and  wise  forecast  of  the  leaders  in 
her  civil  life;  in  the  intelligent,  sober, 
industrious,  enlightened  men  and 
women  who  constitute  the  mass  of 
her  inhabitants.  The  best  heril.ag? 
of  Connecticut,  here  and  every wh-^re, 
as  it  is  handed  down  from  gener- 
ation to  generation,  is  the  character 
of   her  people. 


BY   GEORGE   MUNSON   CURTIS. 

One  of  the  most  important  papers  of 
all  the  interesting  documents  that  were 
prepared  for  the  centennial  was  the 
address  which  George  M.  Curtis  gave 
at  the  historical  exercises  in  the  First 
Congregational  church  Saturday  after- 
noon. It  was  rich  in  valuable  his- 
torical information  that  had  been 
gleaned  by  careful  research,  and  this 
information  will  become  more  valu- 
able as  time  goes  by.  The  address  is 
given  in  full,  as  follows: 

Although  we  are  gathered  here  to- 
day to  celebrate  the  centennial  of  the 
incorporation  of  Meriden  as  a  town, 
and  to  pay  homage  to  those  hard- 
working men  and  women  who,  by 
their  labors  and  genius  changed  tlie 
tiny  hamlet  of  an  hundred  years  ago 
into  the  busy,  bustling  city  of  to-day, 
we  must  not  forget  that  in  1806  Meri- 
den had  had  a  past  of  quite  respectable 
antiquity,  and  was  no  puny  Infant, 
barely  able  to  go  alone. 

It  was  a  very  quiet  and  very  hum- 
ble past,  for  those  hard-headed.  God- 
fearing men  who  cleared  the  forests 
and  first  broke  the  virgin  soil  under 
the  plough  were  but  farmers  of  that 
good  old  yeoman  stock  which  came  to 
this  country,  not  for  gain,  but  seeking 
to  live  a  plain,  honest  life,  content  to 
get  a  fair  return  from  the  land^  and 
die  in  peace  with  God  and  man;  and 
yet,  perhaps  they  were  as  happy  in 
their  day  and  generation  as  their  more 
ambitious  descendants  who  now  walk 
the  stage  of  life. 

Picture  a  stretch  of  forest,  swamp  and 
tangled  brush,  bounded  east  and  west 
by  great  basaltic  cliffs,  or  mountains, 
lifting  their  rugged  summits  in  paral- 
lel ranges;  a  territory  where  the  wild- 


304 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


oat  snarls,  and  the  panther  prowls 
and  lies  in  wait  for  the  browsing  deer, 
where  the  wolf  barks  and  howls,  and 
the  industrious  beaver  blocks  the 
streams  with  his  ingenious  dams,  while 
now  and  then  the  Indian  comes  to 
hunt  and  trap,  with  never  a  thought  of 
pale-faced  intruder  to  say  him  nay! 

Such  was  the  Meriden  of  1661.  for 
both  by  credible  tradition  and  written 
record,  all  this  land  was  reserved  as 
the  happy  hunting  ground  of  the  red 
man. 

Through  the  valley,  between  the  lof- 
ty hills,  ran  a  slender  thread  from 
north  to  south,  called  by  courtesy  a 
road,  which  the  Indian  had  used  from 
time  immemorial  as  a  trail  from  the 
Tunxis  valley,  or  the  more  distant  Po- 
dunk,  in  his  journeyings  to  the  wa- 
ters of  the  sound. 

This  path,  now  broadened,  straight- 
ened, and  beaten  by  the  tide  of  mod- 
ern  life,   we  call  Colony  street. 

Over  it  the  early  colonist  was  wont 
to  travel,  with  scarcely  a  break  to  the 
lonesomeness  of  the  way,  from  Hart- 
ford to  New  Haven,  until  in  1662 
Jonathan  Gilbert  of  Hartford,  built  an 
inn  on  a  farm  granted  him  the  year 
before,  in  the  northern  part  of  this 
wild  and  savage  woodland. 

No  doubt  those  who  were  compelled 
to  use  the  Indian  trail  beheld,  with  a 
sigh  of  satisfaction,  this  place  of  en- 
tertainment, or  "ordinary  for  relieving 
of  travellers  according  to  their  needs," 
as  the  records  quaintly  call  it,  for  the 
way  was  long,  and  the  dangers  many, 
as  we  learn  by  letters  of  those  far-off 
days,  and  Jonathan  Gilbert  was  a  man 
of  influence  and  substance,  whose  fame 
as  tavern  keeper  was  established  on 
no  fragile  basis  by  the  inn  he  main- 
tained in  Hartford.  This  farm  seems, 
almost  immediately,  to  have  acquired 
the  name  of  Meriden,  or  Merideen,  and 
on  it  he  placed  in  charge  as  tenant, 
Edward  Higbee,  a  wandering,  restless 
man,  but  evidently  one  who  knew  al- 
ready the  art  of  tavern  keeping. 

The  situation  must  have  been  a 
weird  and  lonesome  one  in  those  days, 
surrounded  as  it  was  on  all  sides  by 
the  trackless  forest,  while  in  the  east 
loomed  the  great,  age  torn,  sombre 
front  of  Mt.  Lamentation,  over  the 
rocky  flanks  of  which  some  thirty 
years  before.  Leonard  Chester  had 
wandered   for   three   days   and    nights, 


in  the  vain  attempt  to  find  the  trail  to- 
Pyquag,  which  he  had  lost.  Wonder- 
ful tales  were  told  of  the  terrible 
beasts  that  he  had  seen  and  heard 
while  wandering  in  these  forests,  but 
the  only  fear  that  haunted  the  dwel- 
lers on  the  lonesome  farm  was  that  of 
Indians,  for  it  was  but  an  outpost  on 
the  frontiers  of  the  scattered  settle- 
ments, and  it  was  doubtless  in  the 
early  days  of  King  Philip's  war,  when 
one  knew  not  how  soon  the  hurricane 
that  was  raging  in  Massachusetts 
might  sweep  into  this  colony,  that  the 
old  stone  house,  or  fort,  was  built  close 
beside  the  inn,  with  portholes  whence 
one  inside  could  shoot  with  deadly 
aim,  and  a  door  so  filled  with  spikes 
that  a  bullet  could  not  be  driven 
through,  while  behind  was  a  subter- 
ranean chamber,  called  a  powder 
magazine,  the  remains  of  which  could 
still  be  seen  till  seventy  years  ago. 

The  inn  grew  to  be  a  famous  place 
and  many  an  interesting  tale  must 
have  been  told  around  its  hospitable 
hearth,  of  witches  and  goblins,  and 
hair-breadth  escapes  from  the  savage 
red  man.  Nothing  now  is  left  but  a 
name  and  a  few  facts  gleaned  from 
musty  records;  and  those  old  days 
have  gone,  leaving  scarcely  a  memory, 
and  so  utterly  are  they  forgotten  that 
the  few  facts  we  can  save  from  obliv- 
ion, merely  sketch,  like  a  wisp  of  mist, 
events  we  would  fain  see  more  clear- 
ly. 

Succeeding  owners  added  renown, 
both  to  farm  and  inn.  After  Gilbert 
came  his  son-in-law,  Captain  Andrew 
Belcher,  of  Boston,  called  the  most  op- 
pulent  merchant  of  New  England,  in 
his  time,  and  headstrong  in  his  strife 
for  gain,  who  dared  defy  even  the  se- 
lectmen of  Boston,  and  had  been  ac- 
cused of  trading  with  a  "pyrate  for 
elephants"  teeth."  He  spent  money  on 
and  dignified  the  farm,  and  called  it 
"my  manor  of  Meriden;"  but  al- 
though the  estate  had  his  care  and  at- 
tention, a  man  of  his  widely  extended 
business  ventures  can  never  have  call- 
ed it  home. 

Succeeding  him  came  his  son  Jon- 
athan, a  man  of  pomp  and  show,  and 
yet  picturesque  in  his  vanity  and  lord- 
ly pride,  who  was  for  a  time  royal 
governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  later 
of  New  Jersey.  He  may  have  spent 
some  time  on  the  manor  in  his  early 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


305 


days,  for  it  is  certain  that  his  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  affairs  in  this  colo- 
ny was  large;  and  on  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  around  the  farm  are  to  be 
seen  signs  of  prospecting  for  metal, 
which  later  he  thought  he  had  found 
in  paying  quantities  in  Walliiigford 
and  Granby,  and  where  he  poured  out 
large  sums  of  the  pounds,  shillings, 
and  pence  that  the  harder  headed 
Captain  Andrew  had  heaped  together. 

Governor  Belcher,  during  his  own- 
ership, spent  much  money  on  the 
farm,  and  evidently  tried  to  make  it 
an  attractive  manor.  The  pond  which 
now  spreads  over  seventy-five  acres 
of  the  northern  half  of  its  meadows, 
due  to  the  dam  built  by  a  Hartford 
Ice  company  some  twenty  years  ago, 
had  a  predecessor,  for  the  governor, 
during  the  days  of  his  pride  in  the  es- 
tate, erected  a  bank  of  earth  seventy 
yards  north  of  the  present  one,  and 
the  remains  of  the  old  dam,  shaded  by 
stately  oaks  and  hickories,  are  very 
easily  traced   to-day. 

In  1742,  the  western  half  of  the 
farm,  which  contained  the  inn,  was 
sold  to  John  Yale  and  Jedediah  Nor- 
ton, and  the  eastern  part  was  deeded 
to  another  set  of  men  at  the  same 
time;  and  yet  the  farm  is  frequently 
called  by  the  name  of  "Belcher"  to 
this  day. 

There  are  many  who  believe  the 
name  of  Meriden,  first  borne  only  by 
this  farm,  was  given  because  the  inn 
was  the  scene  of  so  many  jovial  mer- 
rymakings of  belated  travelers  and 
those  compelled  to  spend  the  night 
that  it  acquired  the  name  of  "Merry 
den,"  hence  "Meriden."  Those  who 
have  persuaded  themselves  that  such 
was  the  origin  of  the  name  seem  un- 
able to  appreciate  the  absurdity  of  the 
theory,  when  told  that  it  occurs  as 
"Merideen"'  in  an  official  document 
within  two  years  after  the  inn  was  es- 
tablished, in  days  when  the  sternness 
of  character  of  the  early  Puritan  had 
not  been  lost,  and  the  code  of  laws 
then  in  force  declared  that  "no  person 
licensed  for  Common  Interteinment 
shall  suffer  any  to  be  drunken  or 
drink  excessively  viz.  above  halfe  a 
pinte  of  wyne  for  one  person  at  one 
time,     *    *     *     *    Qj.     after     nine    of 

20 


the  clock  at  night."  However,  like  the 
brook,  the  story  will  go  on  forever, 
and  of  late  years  it  has  become  the 
fashion  to  transfer  the  place  of  origin 
of  the  name  from  the  farm  at  the  ex- 
treme north  end  of  the  town,  estab- 
lished in  1662,  to  the  Hough  or  Central 
tavern,  set  up  in  1792  in  the  center  of 
the  parish. 

Instead  of  believing  that  the  origin 
was  due  to  bar  room  carousing,  those 
who  love  the  town  should  be  ready  to 
credit  the  evident  fact  that,  like  near- 
ly all  the  names  of  towns  and  vil- 
lages in  early  New  England,  Meri- 
den is  an  old  English  place  name, 
which  occurs  in  several  localities  in 
the  mother  country  of  the  colonists, 
and  the  speaker  loves  to  believe  that 
the  earlj'  meaning  of  the  word  was 
pleasant  valley,  a  definition  vouched 
for  by  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  the 
students   of   early   English. 

In  1670,  came  the  founding  and  set- 
tling of  Wallingford,  a  purely  New 
Haven  movement,  and  doubtless  for 
that  reason  limited  on  the  north  by  a 
line  which  the  colony  of  Connecticut 
had  drawn  in  1660  as  the  southern 
extent  of  her  territory,  when  the  sis- 
ter government  of  New  Haven  had 
tried  to  extend  her  domains  to  corre- 
spond with  what  she  deemed  her  just 
rights  under  a  purchase  made  in  1645, 
of  that  Indian  sachem  who  bore  the 
euphonious   name   of  "Montowese." 

Let  one  in  fancy  extend  Liberty 
street  east  and  west  across  the  town- 
ship of  Meriden,  and  this  boundary 
line  is  then  defined.  North  of  it,  un- 
til  1728,  was  in   Hartford   county. 

Wallingford,  not  satisfied  by  this 
forced  limitation,  saw  no  remedy  ex- 
cept to  bide  the  opportunity,  which 
time  finally  brought  around.  And  now 
that  the  laying  out  of  the  village  of 
Wallingford  on  that  historic  old 
street  which  crowns  the  gentle  slopQ 
east  of  the  Quinnipiac  river  plain  was 
an  accomplished  fact,  these  land- 
hungry  Englishmen,  at  first  attracted 
by  those  fertile  tracts  which  after- 
wards became  the  parish  of  New 
Cheshire,  began  also  to  explore  north- 
ward, among  those  hills  and  vales 
which  nature  has  made  so  fair  of  feat- 
ure, if  possibly  not  so  rich  of  soil;  but 


3o6 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


perhaps  the  fertility  was  abounding 
when  these  men  first  made  their  ad- 
vent, for  they  soon  began,  with  ap- 
parent eagerness,  to  take  their  allot- 
ments of  land  in  what  is  now  the 
southeastern  part  of  Meriden,  which 
they  dubbed  "Dog's  Misery,"  because 
of  a  swamp  tangled  with  bog  brier 
and  brush  in  the  central  part,  where 
game  found  refuge  in  times  of 
stress. 

In  the  l.'ght  of  our  modern  ideas,  it 
was  a  shame  to  foul  so  lovely  a  land- 
scape with  so  ugly  a  name;  but,  not 
stopping  to  discuss  questions  of  sen- 
timent, some  of  these  men  chose  here 
their  farms,  while  others  were  climb- 
ing the  hills  to  the  west,  and  locat- 
ing grants  on  the  southern  slants  and 
sunset  side  of  "Meeting  House"  hill, 
and  laying  out  farms  on  the  slopes 
running  down  to  where  Pilgrims' 
Harbor  brook  wound  its  way  through 
banks  covered  with  brush  and  reeds 
and  waving  flags  in  its  crooked  course 
to  the  Quinnipiac  river. 

Others  were  staking  their  claims  on 
the  hills  down  which  Gypsy  lane  now 
runs,  and  in  Milking  Yard,  or  Rice's 
Farms,  as  it  was  later  called,  a  coun- 
try of  which  the  dominating  center 
is  Walnut  Grove  cemetery,  rolling  in 
gentle  slopes  that  open  here  and  there 
with  glimpses  of  further  hills  and 
dales.  Others  still,  were  venturing 
northward,  towards  the  forbidden  col- 
ony land,  and  choosing  grants  as 
closely  to  it  as  they  dared,  while 
some  were  climbing  the  uplands  west- 
ward into  the  country  shadowed  by 
the  frowning  Hanging  Hills. 

Thirty  years  from  the  founding  of 
Wallingford  saw  much  of  this  land 
to  the  north  cleared  of  forests  and 
divided  into  farms,  and  a  few  houses 
built;  and  by  172  5  a  sprinkling  of 
dwellings  erected  by  the  second  gen- 
eration of  the  founders  of  the  town, 
was  scattered  over  the  country  which 
is  now  the  southern  half  of  Meriden. 
and  the  names  of  such  families  a.^ 
Hall,  Yale,  Ives,  Andrews,  Ric^,  Cur- 
tis, Atwater,  Whiting,  Hough, 
Cowles,  and  Prindle  had  become  at- 
tached to  the  soil  in  localities  where 
with  few  exceptions,  they  have  ever 
since  remained. 

While   this   had   been     going      on. 


great  tracts  in  the  land  north  of  Lib- 
erty street,  which  had  been  denied 
to  Wallingford  and  called  country 
land  because  it  belonged  to  the  col- 
ony and  not  to  a  town,  had  been 
granted  to  magistrates  of  the  .Lovem- 
ment  as  a  reward  or  pension  for 
faithful  service;  but  as  the  years 
went  by,  death,  always  busy,  had 
caused  these  tracts  to  split  into  farms 
of  smaller  size,  and  men  from  other 
towns  had  drifted  in  to  cast  their  lot 
in  what  was  called  Pilgrims'  Harbor, 
the  very  center  of  this  town  to-day. 

John  Merriam,  with  four  stalwart 
sons,  had  come  from  Lynn,  and  built 
a  house  in  what  is  now  the  junction 
of  West  Main  and  Colony  streets, 
and  bis  farm,  which  stretchi^d  from 
Harbor  brook,  nearly  a  mile  to  the 
west,  contained  what  is  now  the  very 
heart  of  the  commercial  part  of  Mer- 
iden. 

Further  up  the  road,  where  stands 
to-day  the  dwelling  of  E.  J.  Doolirtle, 
Captain  Josiah  Robinson,  from  Glou- 
cester, had  built  his  house,  that  later 
became  the  great  tavern  of  the  par- 
ish, and  his  farm  extended  east  nearly 
to  Hobart  street;  and  on  it  to-day 
are  great  shops  and  factories,  of 
which  the  captain,  in  wildest  flights 
of  fancy,  can  iiever  have  caught  a 
glimpse. 

West  of  this  was  another  great 
farm  belonging  to  a  second  man 
fi-om  Gloucester,  Bartholomew  Fos- 
ter, whose  Ian'',  extending  west  near- 
ly to  Cat  Hole  pass,  contained  a 
iiomestead  standing  on  Colony  street, 
just  south  of  where  Isensingtou  ave- 
nue starts  on  its  winding  course 
through  the  beautiful  glen,  and  lead- 
ing thence  to  New  Britain. 

North  of  V.u^  Robert  and  Jon- 
athan Collins,  from  Middletowu,  were 
clearing  the  Had  and  subduing  Ihe 
forests  of  what  for  many  years  v.'as 
called  "the  woo'is."  while  other 
n-acts  of  lesser  note  completed  the 
distance  to  the  great  Belcher,  or  Mer- 
iien    farm    in    the    n.)rth. 

East  of  those  described,  were  the 
farms  belong'ng  to  Timothy  Jerome, 
from  England,  Aaron  l-'n)an,  from 
Durham,  and  John  V'ay  and  James 
Scovill,  from  Middletown,  lying  along 
the  roads  we  now  term  Ijiberty  and 
V/all   streets. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  fate  of 
those   in   this   vicinit.v,   who      bought 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


307 


land  of  the  simple  savage,  that  no 
sooner  would  one  title  be  acquired 
than  a  second  guileless  Indian 
would  present  himself  with  his  title 
to  be  extinguished,  warranted  to  be 
the  only  genuine  article,  and  of  a 
much  superior  quality  to  that  pur- 
chased of  the  first  red  skin. 

In  this  way,  much  of  the  land 
about  Meriden  was  bought  several 
different  times.  The  consideration 
given  was  never  very  great;  neither 
was  the  value  of  it  to  the  savage  any 
greater,  for  all  he  really  sold  was 
his  right  to  fish  and  hunt  over  a  ter- 
ritory in  which  no  Indian  village  or 
settlement  appears  to  have  ever  beeu 
located. 

By  a  shrewd  act  of  diplomacy, 
Wallingford  had,  in  1684,  bought  the 
latest  Indian  right  to  all  the  land  be- 
tween her  northern  boundary  and  the 
Belcher  farm,  and  this  appears  to 
have  been  the  final  snuffing  out  of  all 
aboriginal  title  in  the  soil,  and  for 
that  reason,  perhaps,  the  only  gen- 
uine article  after  all. 

These  various  men  from  other 
towns  who  have  been  mentioned  as 
owning  farms  in  this  so  called  "coun- 
try" land,  before  they  were  allowed 
to  settle  on  their  farms  in  undisturb- 
ed possession,  were  compelled  to  pay 
toll  to  Wallingford  by  purchasing  al- 
so of  her  under  the  Indian  title  ac- 
quired in  1684. 

In  1723,  a  quarrel  arose  between 
the  town  and  men  of  Middletown  and 
Wethersfield  and  the  matter  being 
brought  to  the  attention  of  ihe  col- 
onial court,  that  body  tardily  recog- 
nized Wallingford's  rignts,  and 
henceforth  all  this  disputed  territory, 
or  "country"  land,  was  added  to  her 
domain;  but  it  was  not  until  1728 
that,  regardless  of  the  plaintive  wail 
of  the  Belcher  tenant  at  the  time, 
Meriden  farm  was  added,  and  pi-ac- 
tically  all  of  the  land  nov/  included 
in  this  town  was  set  apart  as  a  dis- 
tinct society,  and  christened  under 
the  name  of  Meriden  Parish. 

And  now  comes  the  time  which 
must  always  be  considered  one  of  the 
most  interesting  periods  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  town,  when  on  the  west- 
ern slope  of  what  had  previously 
been  called  Deer  Hill  these  farmers 
built,  in  1727,  a  primitive  little  meet- 
ing house,  and  with  evident  though* - 
fulness  they  placed  it  near  a  cluster 
of    stately    oaks,    which,    when    sum- 


mer's sun  is  high,  cast  a  grateful 
shade  around  a  bountiful  and  never 
failing  spring,  which  gushes  forth  in- 
to a  brook  that  dances  and  sings 
merrily  in  its  course  through  the 
meadows  to  the  south,  while  on  the 
hill  above  they  consecrated  an  acre 
for  the  burial  of  theMead;  a  lovely 
and  a  fitting  place,  for  in  the  east, 
over  the  summit  of  another  hill,  rise 
the  sombre  crags  of  the  Beset  range 
while  in  the  foreground  to  the  south, 
roll  the  beautiful  meadows,  pastures 
and  woodland  of  the  old  Yale  farm, 
and  in  the  distance  point  the  spires 
of  Wallingford,  the  town  where  so 
many  of  those  who  lie  buried  here, 
were  born.  It  should  be  holy  ground 
for  those  of  Meriden  birth,  and  I 
know  of  no  place  of  burial  where 
with  more  peculiar  fitness  one  may 
quote   those   pathetic  lines: 

"Each  in  his  narrow  cell  forever  laid. 
The   rude   forefathers   of   the   hamlet 
sleep." 

No  one  has  been  placed  here  for  his 
final  rest  since  1771.  Once  the  cen- 
ter of  the  parish,  time  has  played 
strange  pranks,  for  now  it  is  far  from 
the  haunts  of  men,  and  no  one  comes 
here,  except  the  curious  and  those 
drawn  by  the  desire  to  muse  and  be 
alone. 

As  we  wander  through  tne  old  grave- 
yard and  pause  to  read  the  uncouth 
rhyme,  under  the  rudely  carved  death's 
head  on  the  frail  memorial  of  one  of 
these  early  pioneers,  we  are  bidden 

"Behold  and  see  as  you  pass  by, 
As  you  are  now  so  once  was  I 
As  I  am  now  so  must  you  be. 
Prepare  for  death  and  follow  me." 

It  requires  no  more  than  these  lines 
to  let  fancy  trick  us  into  believing  that 
once  more  the  walls  of  the  humble  lit- 
tle church  are  standing  as  of  yore;  that 
the  narrow  lane  before  us  has  swollen 
to  its  ancient  width  of  a  ten-rod  high- 
way, and  over  it,  from  east  and  west, 
are  coming  the  phantoms  of  men  and 
women  clothed  in  the  garb  of  long 
ago,  seated  in  saddle  and  pillion  and 
borne  by  patient  nags,  as  in  the  days 
when  Parson  Hall,  coming  from  his 
home  near  at  hand,  welcomed  them 
with  stately  salutation  and  led  this 
company  of  grave,  God  fearing  country 
folk  into  the  little  meeting-house, 
there  to  reverently  stand  while  he  led  in 


3o8 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


prayer,  and  patiently  to  sit  while  he 
poured  forth  his  spiritual  meditations 
of  the  week  before. 

Rev.  Theophilus  Hall,  a  scion  of  that 
sturdy  stock  which  has  eiven  a  num- 
ber of  distinguished  men  to  the  coun- 
try, was  engaged  as  pastor  by  this  lit- 
tle flock,  numbering  just  fifty-one 
church  members,  in  1728,  and  immed- 
iately began  to  minister  to  their  needs. 
Slight  of  stature,  as  tradition  tells  us, 
he  was  strong  mentally,  and  held  his 
people  with  a  vigorous  hand.  He  was 
a  man  of  fearless  independence,  and 
when  the  great  theological  controversy 


until  it  became  too  small  to  accommo- 
date the  large  families  that  these 
farmers  were  rearing,  and  then,  in  the 
face  of  great  opposition,  Mr.  Hall  in- 
duced the  members  of  his  church  to 
build  a  new  one,  nearly  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Center  church.  The  ar- 
gument advanced  by  the  opponents  of 
the  plan  was  that  the  place  was  too 
far  to  the  north,  and  too  near  to  moun- 
tainous and  waste  land;  but  the  strong 
man  carried  the  day,  and  at  the  same 
time  decided  where  the  future  village 
of  Meriden  was  to  lie,  although  it  was 
many  long  years  before  there  was  even 


OFFICE  OF  C.  W.  CAHILL. 


arose  in  Wallingford,  in  1758.  which 
was  really  a  battle  between  Congrega- 
tionalism and  Presbyterianism  in  this 
colony,  Parson  Hall,  in  the  face  of 
much  criticism  from  members  of  his 
flock,  dared  to  side  with  Dr.  Dana  and 
invite  him  to  his  pulpit.  The  latter, 
in  his  century  sermon  preached  in  1770, 
said  of  him: 

"A  man  of  strong  intellectual  pow- 
ers, much  esteemed  as  a  preacher,  and 
a  zealous  advocate  for  civil  and  relig- 
ious liberty." 

For  twenty-five  years,  the  little 
meeting  house  continued   to  be     used. 


the  beginning  of  one,  so  wedded  were 
these  farmers  to  their  profession  of 
tillers  of  the  soil. 

Parson  Hall  died  in  1767,  and  enough 
of  his  gravestone  is  left  to  tell  us  that 

"He  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
function  with  distinguished  fidelity  and 
accomplished  Christian  life,  the  uni- 
form disciples  of  Jesus  Christ." 

His  successor,  Rev.  John  Hubbard,  of 
New  Haven,  although  he  had  graduat- 
ed at  Yale  in  1744  and  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  1746,  had  gone  into  business 
in  his  native  town  and  had  no  settled 
parish    until    he    came    to    Meriden,    in 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


309 


1767.  A  suspicion  got  abroad  that  his 
creed  was  not  orthodox,  and  when  he 
was  named  as  the  choice  of  the  major- 
ity of  the  church  members,  precisely 
the  same  sort  of  a  struggle  as  that 
which  had  hardly  begun,  to  cool  in 
Wallingford,  broke  out  in  Meriden;  af- 
ter a  number  of  conferences,  which  set- 
tled nothing,  the  dissatisfied  element, 
just  as  had  happened  in  the  older  par- 
ish, withdrew,  and  formed  a  separate 
society  which  lasted  several  years.  But 
nevertheless,  John  Hubbard  stayed, 
and  by  his  estimable  character,  win- 
ning manners,  and  forceful  preaching 


the  regicides,  Whalley  and  Goffe,  had 
found  refuge  in  1661  among  the  rushes 
and  reeds  that  once  covered  the  banks 
of  the  brook  where  it  is  crossed  by 
Colony  street  in  the  center  of  Meriden. 
The  place  then  bore  the  name  of  Pil- 
grims' Harbor.  Mr.  Stiles  distinctly 
states  in  his  diary  that  he  could  find 
no  tradition  of  that  sort  here,  and  yet 
in  his  "History  of  Three  of  the 
Judges,"  published  in  1794,  we  read: 

"There  is  a  tradition  of  their  making 
a  lodgment  at  Pilgrims'  Harbor,  so 
called  from  them,  being  twenty  miles 
from   New  Haven,     at  a  place     called 


:  "1 

^Kn 

.  I. 

f -^ 

Siu 

1^ 

HW^I 

T^iUllI 

■  ■"i.s-.-m. 

r**^            '^«Bw-  wHBpHnSB^  '^' 

HOUSE   BUILT   BY   REV.   JOHN    HUBBARD   ABOUT    1/70:    IT   STOOD   UNTIL    1866   WHERE   THE 

HOME    OF   EDWARD    MILLER    IS    LOCATED,    NO.    360   BROAD    ST.       IT   WAS   THEN 

MOVED   TO   229   BROAD    ST.,    WHERE   IT   IS    STILL   LOCATED. 


(all  of  which  he  furnished  for  £80  a 
year),  drew  numbers  back  to  his  fold, 
and,  beginning  in  storm  and  stress,  his 
pastorate  closed  in  peace  and  quiet 
when  he  died,  in  1786.  He  was  broth- 
er-in-law of  President  Ezra  Stiles,  of 
Yale  college,  and  the  diary  of  that 
learned  man  recently  published  con- 
tains a  number  of  references  to  Mr. 
Hubbard  and  his  visits  to  Meriden. 

It  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  military 
company  in  1772  performing  its  evolu- 
tions on  the  green  in  front  of  the 
church;  and  it  also  tells  us  that  he 
was  hunting  to  find  a  tradition   that 


Meriden,  half  way  between  New  Haven 
and  Hartford." 

Thus  was  born  a  yarn,  purely  ficti- 
tious, which  has  had  vigorous  life  ever 
since.  Had  Mr.  Stiles  been  able  to 
consult  a  letter  written  by  Rev.  John 
Davenport  to  John  Winthrop  the 
younger,  in  1660,  still  in  existence,  he 
would  have  found  that  the  name  of 
Pilgrims'  Harbor  was  then  in  common 
use:  a  time  when  the  regicides  had  not 
even  left  Boston  to  escape  the  king's 
officers. 

Mr.  Stiles  must  have  had  a  golden 
opinion  of  the  pastoral  life  in  Meriden 


3IO 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Of  that  period,  for  in  1775  he  sent  his 
daughter  Kezia  to  stay  with  Mr.  Hub- 
bard, and  wrote  him: 

"I  should  like  she  might  be  kept  to 
business,  spinning,  milking,  etc.,  so 
as  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  notable 
woman." 

There  is  little  of  interest  to  tell  of 
the  life  of  farmers  engaged  in  a  strug- 
gle to  subdue  a  wilderness  and  then 
till  the  land,  when  compressed  into  a 
short  address,  particularly  when  we 
remember  that  Meriden  was  simply  a 
parish  and  not  a  town.  Some  of  the 
functions  of  a  town  were  performed 
by  the  parish  in  their  meetings;  they 
divided  the  territory  into  districts, 
and  laid  taxes  to  support  the  schools, 
and  appointed  tithing  men  and  elect- 
ed a  few  petty  officers;  but  the  town 
meetings  in  Wallingford  concerned 
themselves  little  with  the  parish  of 
Meriden,  except  now  and  then  to 
lav  out  a  highway,  or  to  elect  one 
of  the  members  to  the  exalted  office 
of  selectman,  and  It  must  also  be 
confessed  that  once  in  a  while  some 
Meriden  man  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent the  town  in  the  General  court,  or 
Assembly. 

This  parish  was  a  rather  isolated 
farming  settlement,  in  which  every 
family  lived  on  the  produce  of  the 
land,  or  by  the  proceeds  of  some  use- 
ful trade  which  was  secondary  to  the 
work  of  tilling  the  soil.  Although 
many  of  the  farmers  were  the  owners 
of  slaves,  in  three  or  four  cases  hav- 
ing as  many  as  five,  there  was  not 
much  wealth  in  the  hands  of  any  one 
man;  neither  was  any  person  very 
poor,  except  he  were  some  poor  un- 
fortunate, to  whom  Nature  had  de- 
nied an  ordinary  mental  equipment. 
There  was  no  village  street  where 
could  be  found  the  homes  of  those 
who  had  accumulated  sufficient  wealth 
to  indulge  in  a  dignified  architectural 
representation  of  their  position  and 
taste.  All  the  dwellings  were  farm 
houses,  and  generally  plain  to  sever- 
ity; but  now  and  then,  in  some  shel- 
tered nook,  whether  by  accident  or 
design,  they  seemed  like  Nature's 
work,  and  the  blending  of  simple  lines 
with  foliage  and  sloping  fields  formed 
a  scene  most  fair  of  view.  Inside, 
there  was  frequently  to  be  found  some 
paneling  and  wainscotting,  or  a  hand- 
some mantel,  or  a  quaint  and  pleasing 
corner     cupboard,     but  life     in     such 


houses  must  have     been     of  Spartan- 
like  simplicity. 

A  very  few  of  these  old  homes  are 
left;  and  something  like  pathos 
should  swell  within  our  breasts  as  we 
gaze  on  these,  the  only  visible  remind- 
ers of  an  age  that  is  gone,  of  names 
that  have  vanished,  and  of  hands  that 
have  been  dust  these  hundred  years. 

The  most  ancient  one  of  these 
houses  is  very  old;  that  is,  for  Meri- 
den. There  is  no  reason  to  doubt 
that  what  we  know  as  the  Samuel 
Clark  place,  on  the  east  side  of 
Colony  street,  two  or  three  hundred 
feet  north  of  Griswold  street,  was 
built  by  Solomon  Goffe,  of  Wethers- 
field,  in  the  year  1711.  The  late 
Mrs.  Lyman  Butler,  who  was  born  in 
the  house  more  than  ninety  years  ago, 
and  there  lived  until  she  was  married, 
told  the  speaker  that  she  thought  the 
dwelling  was  two  hundred  years  old, 
and  that  it  was  called  a  very  old 
house  when  she  was  a  girl.  Thus  in- 
spired, a  search  in  the  records 
brought  forth,  figuratively  speaking, 
the  musty  lineaments  of  Solomon 
Goffe.  In  the  settlement  of  his  fath- 
er's estate,  Solomon  inherited  this 
farm,  which  was  described  as  "farm  in 
ftie  woods,  called  Cole  farm,"  bounded 
west  on  country  road,  and  extending 
north,  east  and  south;"  truly,  a 
somewhat  indefinite  description.  But 
when  he  sold  it  in  1721,  there  was  a 
dwelling  on  it,  and  it  soon  became 
the  homestead  of  Jonathan  Collins, 
from  Middletown.  Country  road  was 
the  old  name  for  Colony  street,  be- 
cause it  was  a  government  highway. 

Naturally,  as  the  parish  began  to 
grow  the  need  of  mills  was  felt,  and 
the  first  one  built  was  by  James 
Hough,  in  1730,  where  the  farmers 
could  bring  their  grain  to  be  ground 
and  their  logs  to  be  sawed.  On  the 
same  site,  stands  a  mill  to-day.  Bald- 
the  name  was  changed  an  hundred 
years  ago  ,and  we  now  call  it  Bald- 
win's, in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
town.  The  second  was  built  at  a 
somewhat  later  date,  and  by  a  Hough, 
also,  Ephraim  by  name,  and  the  an- 
cient mill,  whether  the  original  or  not 
I  do  not  know,  stands  in  the  extreme 
western  part  of  the  town  on  the 
Quinnipiac  river,  and  is  still  known 
as  Hough's. 

It  was  once  a  place  of  much  Import- 
ance,  and     probably     more     business 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


311 


■was  there  transacted  than  in  any  oth- 
er part  of  Meriden  in  the  early  days. 
Generals  James  Wadsworth,  of  Dur- 
ham, and  Andrew  Hull,  of  Cheshire, 
were  for  a  time  partners  there,  and 
much  grain  was  ground  and  then  car- 
ried to  New  Haven  to  be  shipped  to 
the  West  Indies. 

Three  fulling  mills  were  also  located 
in  this  parish,  where  the  art  and  mys- 
tery of  the  clothiers'  trade  was  prac- 
ticed, so  that  the  homespun  cloth 
woven  by  the  women  could  be  proper- 
ly treated  before  it  was  made  into 
garments.  One  was  located  on  Black 
Pond  brook  in  East  Meriden,  Just 
north  of  where  the  little  chapel  now 
stands,  on  the  turnpike;  a  second  ad- 
joined the  Hough  mill  in  the  west, 
just  described,  while  the  site  of  the 
third  is  now  .  almost  a  wilderness. 
Many  persons  know  the  location  of  a 
huge  trap-rock  bowlder,  called  Phebe 
rock,  standing  on  that  branch  of  Pil- 
grims' Harbor  brook  which  flows 
placidly  north  to  Baldwin's  pond.  It 
is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of 
Gravel  street,  and  children  used  to  re- 
sort there  years  ago  for  picnics  and 
afternoon  excursions.  Some  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  south  of  this  rock, 
with  trees  and  shrubs  sheltering  the 
spot  with  a  thick  shade,  may  still  be 
plainly  traced  depressions  marking 
the  site  of  an  ancient  wheelpit  and 
raceway,  while  some  distance  to  the 
south  are  the  remains  of  the  dam. 

The  mill  disappeared  so  long  ago 
that  a  very  old  man  who  died  several 
years  since  and  had  lived  all  his  life 
on  the  farm  adjoining,  knew  only  that 
once  the  site  had  held  a  fulling  mill, 
but  whose  it  was  or  when  it  van- 
ished, he  could  not  tell.  But  the  an- 
cient records  tell  us  that  it  was  owned 
by  a  man  named  Noel  Ives. 

Dating  from  the  advent  of  the  white 
man  in  this  vicinity,  there  was  the 
constant  belief  that  the  rocky  sides  of 
the  Hanging  hills  and  Mt.  Lamenta- 
tion, or  land  adjoining,  would  some 
day  yield  to  the  diligent  searcher  an 
abundance  of  gold  or  silver  or  cop- 
per. There  are  a  number  of  places 
which  still  bear  evidence  of  these  at- 
tempts to  solve  the  problem  of  where 
Nature  had  buried  her  treasures.  The 


most  serious  was  made  on  land  which 
is  now  in  the  western  part  of  Walnut 
Grove  cemetery,  and  was  then  adja- 
cent parts  of  the  farms  of  Dr.  William 
Hough  and  Timothy  Roys.  The  an- 
cient shafts  still  to  be  seen  have  been 
generally  considered  those  made  on 
the  Roys  farm  by  an  association  of 
men  called  the  Golden  Parlour  Min- 
ing company,  formed  in  1737.  The 
records  of  this  company  are  still  in 
existence,  and  show  that  serious  work 
was  undertaken;  but  as  nothing  tangi- 
ble resulted,  except  debts,  the  attempt 
was  soon  abandoned  in  despair.  But, 
not  discouraged  by  this  failure,  Dr. 
Hough  continued  to  big  on  his  land  for 
several  years  later,  and,  as  far  as  can 
be  learned  from  records,  his  net  final 
assets  were  the  holes  in  the  ground 
made  by  his  workmen.  The  last  vic- 
tim of  the  mining  craze  in  that  local- 
ity was  apparently  one  of  Walling- 
ford's  fair  damsels,  Katherine,  the 
daughter  of  that  distinguished  divine. 
Rev.  Samuel  Whittlesey.  She  after- 
wards married  his  successor.  Dr. 
James  Dana. 

Evidently,  Meriden's  era  of  indus- 
trial pursuits  had  not  arrived,  and 
there  is  little  of  that  naxure  to  detain 
us 'in  the  middle  of  the  past  century. 

Taverns  in  those  early  days  were 
very  important  centers  of  life  in  every 
community.  There,  the  farmers 
learned  the  news  of  the  outside  wor.d 
from  the  chance  traveler,  and  perhaps 
exchanged  notes  and  observations  on 
crops  and  live  stock.  No  one  was 
permitted  to  become  an  innkeeper 
without  the  recommendation  of  the 
selectmen,  and  a  license  obtained  from 
the  county  court.  It  was  a  profession 
of  eminent  respectability.  John  Yale, 
who,  with  Jedidiah  Norton,  had 
bought  the  western  part  of  the  old 
Belcher  farm,  took  the  southern  half 
in  the  division,  which  included  the 
tavern,  and  he  and  his  son,  Nash,  ran 
it  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  sell- 
ing it  in  1763  to  Yale  Bishop,  of  New 
Haven.  In  1770,  the  latter  offered  it 
for  sale,  and  in  the  advertisement 
called  it  a  noted  house,  and  one  of  the 
best  stands  for  a  tavern  keeper  in  the 
colony.  But  it  was  evident  that  its 
glory  was  departing;  its  fame  had 
been  usurped  by  the  tavern  of  Josiah 


312 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


Robinson,  which  has  been  mentioned 
as  standing  on  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  home  of  E.  J.  Doolittle,  285 
Colony  street. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  an  Important 
man  in  the  community,  and  for  those 
times  had  considerable  wealth.  He 
was  captain  of  the  train  band,  and 
some  times  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Assembly,  for  the  town  of  Walling- 
ford.  He  applied  for  a  license  to 
keep  a  tavern  in  1751,  and  for  many 
years  his  house  was  the  tavern  of  the 
parish.  He  died  in  1766,  and  his  in- 
ventory tells  us  that  he  had  five  ne- 
gro slaves,  and  that  back  of  the  inn 
stood  a  malt  house  and  barns  and 
horse  houses,  and  that  his  library  con- 
tained eleven  law  volumes,  so  that  he 
must  have  occupied  somewhat  the  po- 
sition of  legal  luminary  among  his 
neighbors.  From  1763  to  1811,  the  old 
almanacs  mention  only  one  tavern  in 
Meriden,  and  that  was  invariably  Rob- 
inson's; a  name  retained  long  after 
any  of  that  family  were  connected 
with  it.  This  house  continued  to 
stand  until  1876,  when  Mr.  Doolittle 
bought  and  demolished  it,  and  found 
enough  stone  in  the  foundation  walls 
and  enormous  chimney  to  have  start- 
ed a  small  sized  quarry. 

An  examination  of  the  old  records 
has  resurrected  an  ancient  doctor, 
Ebenezer  Cooper,  who  died  as  long 
ago  as  1742,  undoubtedly  the  first  phy- 
sician of  Meriden.  He  was  living  here 
as  early  as  1721,  and  it  is  little 
enough  the  records  reveal.  We  know 
that  his  home  stood  on  the  north  cor- 
ner of- Paddock  and  Miller  avenues, 
just  opposite  the  southeast  district 
school;  the  home  of  William  B.  Rice, 
built  in  1796,  occupies  the  site  of  the 
dwelling  of  this  ancient  physician, 
and  his  inventory  tells  us  that  he  had 
sundry  bottles,  phials  and  apothecary 
things;  a  lignum  vitae  mortar  and 
pestle.  His  body  doubtless  lies  buried 
on  Meeting  House  hill,  but  no  stone 
marks  his  grave. 

Dr.  Alexander  Wolcott,  afterwards 
a  prominent  physician  of  New  Ha- 
ven, bought  a  farm  here  in  1736,  but 
that  he  ever  lived  in  Meriden  it  is 
impossible  to  say,  although  the  vital 
statistics  of  Wallingford  give  one  or 
two   items   relating  to  him. 


Dr.  William  Hough  lived  here  a 
few  years,  afterwards  moving  to 
Cheshire  and  later  to  Haddam;  but 
he  seems  to  have  paid  more  atten- 
tion to  the  bowels  of  the  earth  than 
to  the  vital  organs  of  Meriden's  farm- 
ers, and  were  it  not  for  his  mining 
ventures  we  should  perhaps  not  know 
that  he  was  once  a  resident  of  this 
parish.  I  am  sure  that  the  medical 
profession  deem  it  qujue  appropriate 
that  the  farm  of  a  doctor  should  now 
be  a  cemetery. 

Pre-eminent  among  the  early  phy- 
sicians of  Meriden  was  Dr.  Isaac 
Hall,  who,  after  a  residence  of  nearly 
forty  years  in  the  parish,  died  here  in 
17S2.  The  speaker  has  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  a  careful  examination  of  his 
old  account  book,  and  found  that  his 
practice  took  him  to  Cheshire,  Guil- 
ford, Durham  and  even  far  away 
Hebron. 

The  epitaph  on  his  tombstone  in  the 
old  Broad  street  cemetery  tells  us  that 
he  was: 

"A  physician  of  eminent  training 
and  usefulness,  very  skillful  in  the 
various  disorders  of  the  human  body 
and  in  clinical  practice  excellent, 
laborious  and  successful." 

We   are  also  told  that 

"The  lowly  cot  and  lofty  dome 
With  joy  his  healing  art  proclaim 
And     teaming     nature     sav'd     from 

death 
With    grateful      tears    embalms      his 

name." 

There  were  plenty  of  lowly  cots  in 
Meriden,  but  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know 
where  he  found  the  lofty  dome,  with- 
out it  was  down  in  Hebron. 

As  was  to  be  expected  of  so  small 
a  community,  Meriden's  part  in  mil- 
itary affairs  was  a  modest  one,  but 
the  parish  was  loyal  to  her  duty,  and 
her  sons  were  to  be  found  on  the  dif- 
ferent battlefields  of  the  various 
vkars. 

As  one  looks  over  the  rolls  of  the 
companies  engaged  in  the  campaigns 
of  the  French  and  Indian  wars,  many 
of  the  old  family  names  are  found 
in  associations  that  make  it  impossi- 
ble to  doubt  that  they  were  Meriden 
men,  and  we  learn  that  Samuel  Pen- 
field,  Abraham  Hall.  Ebenezer  Prind- 
le,  Tchabod  Stark.  Divan  Berry,  Jos- 
eph  Merriam,   Daniel      Hough,      Ben- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    AIERIDEN. 


313 


jamin  Curtis,  Benjamin  Rexford, 
Ezelvial  Royce,  Elnathan  Ives,  and 
man}'  otliers  were  at  Fort  William 
Henry  on  Lake  ^jreorge,  at  Ticonder- 
oga,  at  Crown  Point,  or  wherever  the 
fortunes  of  war  might  chance,  doing 
their  work  as  good  soldiers  should. 

And  now  this  war  finished,  and 
with  Americans  realizing  their 
strength  as  a  military  force,  and  be- 
ginning to  see,  dimly,  perhaps,  the 
manifest  destiny  the  future  had  in 
store,  England's  Parliament  saw  fit 
to  pass  the  Stamp  Act  of  1765,  to 
assist  in  paying  for  this  military 
game.  Every  school  boy  knows  with 
what  fury  the  colonies  heard  the 
news;  but  every  school  boy  does  not 
know  how  the  act  was  opposed  in 
Wallingford. 

Wallingford  freemen  met  in  town 
meeting  on  January  1.3,  17 GO,  and 
voted   that 

"If  any  inhabitant  shall  intro- 
duce, use  or  improve  any  stampt 
vellum,  parchment  or  paper  for 
which  tax  or  tribute  is  or  may  be  de- 
mandable,  such  person  shall  incur 
the  penalty  of  twenty  ^shillings  fine." 
This  vote  was  one  of  rebellion  and  in- 
dependence; it  was  not  like  a  riot, 
where  the  body  politic  can  plead  non- 
participation;  it  was  the  solemn  act 
of  the  freemen,  in  town  meeting  as- 
sembled. And  on  the  same  day,  her 
true  sons  of  liberty  voted: 

"That  we  will  oppose  the  Stamp 
Act  to  the  last  extremity  even  to  take 
the   field." 

That  this  was  a  much  bolder  note 
than  was  sounded  by  any  other  town 
of  the  colony  seems  certain. 

The  rapid  succession  of  events 
which  followed  the  Stamp  Act  in- 
tensified the  excitement,  and  ripened 
the  American  people  for  armed  re- 
sistance. What  had  been  but  a  fleck 
in  the  sky,  now  overcast  the  whole 
heavens.  The        news        of        the 

day  at  Concord  and  Lexington  spread 
like  wildfire  through  the  colonies, 
and  patriots  hesitated  no  more  and 
eager,  ardent  men  went  hurrying 
towards  Boston;  Captain  John  Couch 
of  Meriden,  with  his  thirty-eight 
men,  went  with  the  rest,  among 
whom  we  note  the  names  of  Divan 
Berry,  Ezekial  Rice,  Joseph  Shaylor, 
Dr.  Insign  Hough,  Jonathan  Yale, 
Benjamin  Hart,  Nathaniel  Yale,  John 
Butler,   John   Merriam,      and      Chris- 


topher Atwater,  men  whose  descend- 
ants are  here  to-day.  Captain  Isaac 
Cook,  of  Wallingford,  also  started  in 
this  rush  for  Boston,  with  fifty-nine 
men;  and  everywhere  the  patriots 
went  rapidly  to  the  seat  of  war. 

Great  must  have  been  the  excite- 
ment, and  that  no  actual  service  was 
seen  at  the  time  does  not  detract 
from  the  patriotic  motives  which  in- 
spired the  march.  In  the  siege  of 
Boston  there  were  certainly  Meriden 
men  engaged,  although  there  is  of- 
ficial record  of  only  one,  and  that 
was  Captain  John  Coucn;  but  in  the 
Oliver  Rice  homestead  in  South  Mer- 
iden is  preserved  a  letter  written  by 
Ezekiel  Rice  under  date  of  February 
2o,  177  6,  in  Roxbury  camp,  which 
gives  a  number  of  personal  experi- 
ences and  lets  us  know  the  name  of 
another  man  from  this  parish  who 
was  doing  duty  before  the  beleaguer- 
ed town;  viz.,  Samuel  Scovill.  Doubt- 
less there  were  others,  too,  but  their 
names  have  not  been  preserved. 

And  then  came  the  campaign  around 
New  York  city  and  here,  too,  Meri- 
den men  were  present,  and  there  are 
other  letters  preserved  written  on 
Manhattan  Island,  both  before  and  af- 
ter the  Battle  of  Long  Island,  which 
show  that  the  parish  was  doing  its 
duty. 

And  so  it  was  all  through  the  long 
and  dreary  war;  at  Saratoga,  at  Bran- 
>iywine,  at  Germantown,  at  Valley 
Forge,  at  Monmouth,  or  wherever 
fighting  was  to  be  done  or  privation 
to  be  borne  with  fortitude,  Meriden 
men  were  there,  and  doubtless  doing 
faithfully  each  his  appointed  work. 
But  material  is  lacking  to  do  these 
men  the  justice  they  deserve,  and  even 
lid  we  have  more  than  the  very  scan- 
tiest of  records  to  preserve  their 
'leeds  of  loyalty  to  country  and  state, 
time  is  wanting  to  make  more  than  a 
few  brief  allusions. 

Captain  John  Couch  was  not  a  young 
man  when  the  war  broke  out,  and  af- 
ter he  and  a  number  of  his  men  from 
Meriden  were  captured  at  Fort  Wash- 
ington, in  November,  1776,  his  mili- 
tary career  seems  to  have  ended,  ex- 
cept for  militia  duty  now  and  then. 
Doubtless,  languishing  in  a  British 
prison  did  not  increase  his  physical 
vigor,  and  perhaps  incapacitated  him 
for  further  active  service. 

Of    all    the    men    of  Meriden    who 


314 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


served  in  the  Revolution,  no  one 
seems  to  have  been  so  actively  and 
continuously  engaged  as  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Shaylor.  Beginning  with  the 
Lexington  alarm,  he  served  until  the 
end  of  the  war,  and  was  mustered  out 
in  1783.  He  took  part  in  many  bat- 
tles, and  apparently  was  one  of  that 
daring  body  of  troops  which,  under 
Mad  Anthony  Wayne,  stormed  and 
captured  Stony  Point  in  1779;  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  exploits  during 
the  whole  war.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Order  of  the  Cincinnati, 
and  his  military  ardor  was  not 
quenched  even  by  this  long 
Revolutionary  service,  for  as  a 
captain  he  took  part  in  the 
unhappy  St.  Clair  expedition  of  1791 
against  the  Miami  Indians  in  the 
Northwest  Territory.  His  son,  Jo- 
seph, a  lad  of  fifteen,  was  with  him, 
and  was  killed  and  scalped  by  the 
Indians.  A  memorial  to  the  boy,  feel- 
ingly recording  his  fate,  stands  in 
the  Broad  street  cemetery. 

Isaac  Jr.,  son  of  Doctor  Isaac  Hall, 
was  a  captain  in  the  service  and  so 
was  Divan  Berry,  who  seems  to  have 
been  actively  engaged  at  various 
points.  John  Hough,  as  lieutenant, 
served  imder  General  Schuyler,  in  the 
northern  department. 

Phineas  Hough  was  in  the  New 
York  campaign  of  1776,  and  died  in 
the  service;  and  his  memorial  in  the 
Broad  street  cemetery,  erected  by 
John  Merriam,  who  had  married  his 
widow,  records  that  his  body  was 
buried  in  the  Presbyterian  churchyard. 
New  York,  and  then  follow  the  lines: 

"Who  can  grieve  too  much, 
What  time  shall  end 

Our  mourning  for  so  dear  a  friend." 
Certainly,  this  was  sf.lf  abnegation 
somewhat  unusual  in  a  second  hus- 
band. 

Asaph  Merriam,  whose  home  stood 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Home 
club,  although  he  was  never  in  a  high- 
er rank  than  an  humble  private, 
marched  faithfully  through  many  a 
campaign,  and  his  cousin,  Ephraim 
Merriam,  as  a  fifer,  piped  to  cheerful 
courage  the  flagging  zeal  of  many  a 
tired  soldier,  winding  up  his  final 
tune     on  the  field   at  Yoiktown. 

Nor  must  we  forget  Chatham  Free- 
man, the  slave  of  Noah  Yale,  who 
served  several     years     in     the     place 


of  his  master  to  gain  his  freedom; 
and  likewise  Black  Boss,  the  slave 
of  Abel  Curtis,  who  trudged  in  the 
ranks,  inspired  by  a  like  incentive. 

But  time  forbids  to  mention  more. 
Altogether,  there  were  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  men  from  this  little  par- 
ish who  served  in  the  Continental 
army  or  on  militia  duty  during  this 
long  and  trying  war.  Tories  we  had, 
but  they  were  few  in  number,  and 
seem  to  have  maintained  a  state  of 
passive  resistance,  and  they  appar- 
ently suffered  no  hardships,  except 
to  be  confined  to  their  farms.  We 
are  far  enough  removed  from  those 
stirring  times  to  realize  that  they 
were  honest  in  their  convictions,  and 
did  what  they  thought  was  their  duty. 
Two  farms  were  seized  and  confiscat- 
ed by  the  government,  because  the 
owner  had  been  voted  inimical  to  his 
country  and  had  joined  the  enemy; 
but  his  name  was  Jauncy,  and  he  was 
never  a  resident  of  the  parish.  One 
of  these  farms  was  the  old  tavern, 
with  its  adjoining  lands  which  had 
once  been  known  as  the  Belcher  inn; 
the  other  was  a  tract  of  some  thirty 
acres,  known  as  the  Rexford  farm, 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  Colony 
street  and  Holt's  Hill  road,  or  Hail 
avenue,  as  it.  is  known  to-day.  But 
all  things  have  an  end,  and  at  last 
the  dawn  came,  and  the  glorious  news 
of  peace  and  independence  was  trum- 
peted the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 

It  is  hardly  fair  to  those  men  who 
were  the  fathers  of  Meriden  to  pass 
them  by  in  silence.  There  is  little  to 
tell,  for  their  lives  were  quiet  and 
peaceful,  and  they  seem  to  have 
been  of  that  pioneer  class  which  al- 
ways sought  to  keep  on  the  front  crest 
of  the  spreading  waves  of  colonial 
life,  and  many  of  their  descendants 
were  of  that  same  agricultural  army 
who  in  successive  migrations  were 
seeking  "fresh  woods  and  pastures 
new";  a  phenomenon  common  enough 
in  certain  parts  of  New  England  dur- 
ing what  we  may  call  the  pastoral  pe- 
riod. Of  one  thing,  we  may  be  sure; 
race  suicide  was  not  popular  in  those 
days,  and  a  study  of  the  vital  statis- 
tics makes  one  feel  that  we  are  now 
living  in  degenerate  times.  They 
nearly  all  raised  large  families,  and 
many  of  them  lived  to  a  very  green 
old  age. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


315 


To  begin  in  tiie  center  of  the  par- 
ish, within  a  stone's  throw  of  this 
church  John  Merriam  died  in  1754,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-three,  leaving  a 
numerous  progeny.  Bartholomew  Fos- 
ter, his  neighbor  on  the  north,  died  in 
1740,  aged  ninety-one,  leaving  a  good- 
ly flock  of  daughters,  and  two  sons. 
Deacon  Samuel  Royce  died  in 
1757  aged  eighty-five,  and  hav- 
ing done  his  best  for  the  par- 
ish, with  a  record  of  sixteen  children. 

Timothy  Jerome,  although  he  died  in 
1751,  having  completed  only  sixty-two 
years,  left  numerous  descendants,  and 
also  an  assortment  of  clothing  that 
was  astonishing  in  its  range  of  colors 
and  variety.  A  picture  rises  before 
my  eyes  of  a  tall,  dignified  man,  garb- 
ed in  a  straight  bodied  coat  of  pale  blue 
a  red  vest  of  baize,  and  leather 
breeches,  the  whole  crowned  by  a 
beaver  hat.  No  doubt  Timothy  wore 
the  costume  with  grace  and  ease,  for 
he  was  a  man  of  consequence  in  the 
parish,  and  left  to  his  widow  and  chil- 
dren four  negro  sla,ves.  His  home 
stood  near  what  is  now  the  junction  of 
Broad  and  Liberty  streets. 

Robert  Royce,  whose  house  stood 
where  the  Dr.  Archer  dwelling  is  locat- 
ed in  South  Farms,  or  Milking  Yard, 
died  in  1759,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
four,  leaving  a  record  seldom  beaten; 
viz.,  thirteen  children. 

John  Ives,  whose  home  was  in  the 
Dog's  Misery  country,  was  the  ancestor 
of  most  of  those  named  Ives  who  live 
in  Meriden  to-day.  He  died  in  1738, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-nine,  and  eleven 
children  stand  to  his  credit. 

Benjamin  Curtis,  whose  home  stood 
on  what  we  now  call  Curtis  street, 
died  in  1754,  aged  only  fifty-one,  and 
with  a  family  of  only  nine  children  to 
mourn  his  loss.  His  son  Benjamin 
brought  the  average  up,  however,  by 
dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  with 
fourteen  children  to  his  credit. 

Deacon  Ebenezer  Cowles  was  anoth- 
er of  these  patriarchs  who  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three,  and  the  number  of  his 
children  was  sixteen.  Major  Elisha 
A.  Cowles,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  of  Meriden  in  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  was  his  grandson. 

The  deacon  had  an  eagle  eye  that 
was  constantly  on  the  watch  for  law- 
breakers of  every  degree.      Among  the 


papers  treasured   in  the     Oliver     Rice 
homestead,  is  one  reading  as  follows: 

"Wallingford,  february  ye  4th,  1754. 

I  the  subscriber  Do  enter  this  Com- 
plaint to  Ezekiel  roys  Esq.  and  say, 
that  Ichabod  Stark  is  guilty  of  the 
breach  of  the  Law  by  not  Attending 
the  public  worship  of  God,  on  the  Sec- 
ond third  and  fourth  Lord's  day  of 
January  last  past  in  any  Congregation 
by  Law  Alowed. 

Ebenezer  Cowles,  Grand  Juryman." 

It  is  fortunate  for  most  of  us  that 
there  has  been  such  a  drastic  revision 
of  our  statutes,  and  that  men  like  good 
Deacon  Cowles  have  long  been  gather- 
ed to  their  fathers. 

To  come  down  to  a  later  date,  we 
find  in  the  Connecticut  Journal  of  Au- 
gust 24,  1796,  this  notice: 

"On  August  12th  the  following  per- 
sons dined  at  the  house  of  Doct.  Hough 
in  Meriden  viz.  Aaron  Lyman  Esq,  89 
years  old,  his  wife  80.  Capt.  John 
Webb  89  and  his  wife  84  and  have  been 
married  64  years.  Phineas  Hough  83 
and  his  wife  82.  Noah  Yale  82  and 
his  wife  81  have  been  married  60  years. 
The  widow  Sarah  Yale,  age  84. 

After  spending  the  afternoon  in 
agreeable  conversation  on  the  things 
of  this  world  and  the  world  to  come, 
they  went  to  their  respective  homes 
expecting  not  to  meet  again  till  they 
meet  in  heaven." 

The  data  here  given  merely  scratches 
the  surface,  and  yet  we  are  told  that 
insurance  statistics  show  the  average 
of  human  life  is  lengthening! 

As  for  the  mothers  of  Meriden,  God 
bless  them,  what  higher  tribute  can 
we  pay  them  than  to  say  they  were  the 
devoted  spouses  of  these  fathers,  and 
that  they  reared  their  large  families, 
with  resources  of  ingenious  economy 
beyond  the  ken  of  modern  times,  and 
then  frequently  lived  to  a  greater  age 
than   those  already  quoted? 

I  do  not  know  that  Meriden  was  an 
unusually  religious  community,  or  that 
the  terrors  of  death  were  more  vividly 
realized  here  than  elsewhere,  but  it 
does  seem  as  if  the  old  cemetery  on 
Broad  street  contained  an  amazingly 
large  number  of  doleful  and  pathetic 
epitaphs.  One  which  for  woefulnes3 
of  despair  is  unique,  appears  on  the 
tombstone  of  a  son  of  Jotham  Mitchell, 
and  reads  as  follows: 


3i6 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


■"Thy   earthy   hopes     fond   youth     are 

but  a  dream 
O'er  all   things  here  I   claim  a  power 

supreme 
While  love  prepares  the  nuptial  torch 

to  light 
I   quench   its   splendors   in   sepulchral 

night: 
My  name  is  death:  see  here  my  victims 

lie 
Renounce  thy  pleasures  and  prepare  to 

die." 

In  the  year  1780  the  parish  of  Chesh- 
ire was  made  a  town.  The  example 
was  one  that  this  parish  was  eager  to 
follow  although  numbering  many  less 
inhabitants. 

On  April  12,  17S6,  the  parish  of  Mer- 
iden  came  together  at  the  meeting 
house,  and  voted  to  present  a  mem- 
orial to  the  General  Assembly,  pray- 
ing to  be  constituted  a  town  and  an- 
nexed to  Middlesex  county.  The  peti- 
tion strongly  urged  the  inconvenience 
of  a  journey  to  the  courthouse  in  New 
Haven,  an  average  distance  of  nineteen 
miles,  while  that  of  Middletown  was 
only  nine  miles  away;  but  Walling- 
ford  was  in  no  mood  to  lose  another 
slice  of  her  territory,  and  the  petition 
was  successfully  opposed.  But  the 
agitation  was  successfully  continued, 
and  when  at  last  another  petition  was 
presented,  in  1804,  Wallingford  reluct- 
antly consented  to  the  separation,  and 
the  General  Assembly,  on  the  second 
Thursday  in  May,  1806,  passed  a  bill 
incorporatingMeriden  a  separate  town- 
ship; and  the  first  town  meeting  was 
held  under  the  act,  just  an  hundred 
years  ago  this  afternoon,  at  one 
o'cloelv,  a  reproduction  of  which  we 
witnessed   this   morning. 

And  now  at  last  Meriden  was  one  of 
that  federation  of  independent  towns, 
endowed  "with  all  the  attributes  of 
sovereignty  not  expressly  granted  to 
the  General  Court"  of  the  state  of 
Connecticut.  The  long  struggle  was 
ended,  and  the  town  could  now  grow 
and  expand,  unhampered  by  the  vex- 
atious conditions  inseparable  from  its 
former  state  of  surburban  parish  of  a 
larger  community. 

There  was  little  about  the  town  in 
its  early  days  which  indicated  that 
some  day  it  would  grow  to  a  place  of 
considerable  size;  it  was  simply  a  qui- 
et, peaceful  community,  bent  on  get- 
ting a  living  as  best  it  could  from  the 


rather  sterile  soil;  and  that  the  farms 
were  not  as  productive  as  they  once 
had  been,  seems  indicated  in  various 
ways.  The  houses  built  after  1790, 
until  a  considerably  later  date  were 
not  so  capacious  and  roomy  as  those 
of  an  earlier  period,  and  the  inventor- 
ies of  estates  had  also  begun  to  dwin- 
dle in  amounts,  and  many  of  them  were 
pitifully  small  when  compared  with 
those  of  the  first  settlers.  Meriden 
was  poor;  there  is  no  doubt  of  that, 
but  the  people  were  indomitable  and 
bound  to  succeed.  If  a  Hying  coulJ 
not  be  gained  from  the  soil,  then  one 
must  be  wrested  from  fortune  on  the 
soil.  And  then  began  the  struggle, 
long,  bitter  and  hard,  a  fight  against 
fate,  which  seemed  to  have  doomed 
them  to  a  grinding  between  the  mill- 
stones of  lack  of  advantages  and  pov- 
erty of  resource;  but  if  natural  advan- 
tages of  waterpower  were  wanting, 
then  that  must  be  made  which  did  not 
require  it.  Shops  sprang  up  all  over 
the  town,  by  the  scores;  little  shops, 
where  two  or  three  men  worked  to- 
gether, and  where  the  hours  were  long 
and  the  profits  small;  but  where  the 
ceaseless  struggle  went  on  year  after 
year,  with  a  courage  born  of  a  belief 
that  victory  must  come  at  last. 

One  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty- 
nine  people  lived  in  Meriden  in  1820, 
and  105  were  engaged  in  manufactur- 
ing, or  about  8  1-2  per  cent;  but  in 
1840  the  proportion  had  increased  to 
twenty-one  per  cent,  and  the  shops 
had  grown  larger. 

In  1833,  Meriden  had  organized  a 
bank,  and  had  begun  to  assume  a 
place  of  importance  in  the  commercial 
world,  and  her  goods  were  becoming 
known;  and  they  were  honest  goods, 
well  made;  and  her  men  were  men 
of  probity,  weight  and  resource;  and 
victory  had  come  at  last,  and  her 
population  was  growing  by  jumps 
and  bounds,  and  the  increase  in  pro- 
duction of  goods  kept  pace  with  her 
growth  in  numbers.  In  the  decade 
ending  in  1830,  the  increase  was  near- 
ly 100  per  cent,  or  from  1,880  to 
3,559  souls;  tiny  still,  but  growing; 
and  in  1860  the  roll  stood  at  7,246,  or 
a  jump  of  more  than  100  per  cent. 

As  one  looks  over  the  names  of  the 
manufacturers  in  Meriden,  one  is  con- 
scious that  there  were  some  great  men 
among  them;    men  who.  with  greater 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


317 


natural  advantages,  would  have  ach- 
ieved much  greater  results.  Among 
them  might  be  named  Julius  Pratt, 
Charles  Parker  and  Horace  C.  Wilcox. 
What  has  been  done  has  been 
brought  about  in  spite  of  fate; 
what  had  been  Meriden's  mis- 
fortune was  hammered  into  a  bless- 
ing by  hard  and  sturdy  blows. 
But  the  struggle  is  not  ended;  the 
fight  is  still  on,  and  while  we  pause 
to  look  back  on  the  past,  we  are  con- 
scious that  retrospect  is  but  a  means 
to  add  new  courage,  and  to  draw  in- 
spiration for  the  struggles  of  the  fu- 
ture. What  a  wonderful  change  has 
come  to  the  quiet  little  hamlet  of 
Yankee  farmers  of  an  hundred  years 
ago!  Then,  they  were  a  thousand 
souls  of  homogenous  blood  and  tra- 
dition. To-day  we  are  35,000  strong, 
and  embrace  every  nationality  of  Eu- 
rope. If  the  change  is  great  to-day, 
think  what  it  will  be  an  hundred  years 
from  now!  Who  dares  even  attempt 
to  draw  the  veil  from  the  future? 
Who  can  catch  the  faintest  glimmer 
of  the  Meriden  of  the  year  2000? 


BY  HON.  C.  LaRUE  MUNSON. 

C.  La  Rue  Munson,  of  Williamsport, 
Pa.,  former  president  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Bar  association,  gave  a  most  inter- 
esting address  in  the  afternoon  on 
"New  England's  Influence  Upon  Our 
Institutions  and  in  American  Pro- 
gress." Mr.  Munson  who  is  an  able 
speaker  and  a  man  of  great  influence 
in  his  state,  is  prominently  mentioned 
as  a  candidate  for  the  Democratic 
nomination  for  governor.  His  ad- 
dress in  full,  is  as  follows: 

To  the  unreflecting  hearer  it  would 
seem  but  an  idle  boast  to  assert  that 
the  majority  of  the  leading  citizens 
in  the  greater  number  of  our  pro- 
gressive and  prosperous  American 
communities  were  born  within  the 
bounds  of  New  England  or  hold 
within  their  veins  the  blood  of  a 
Puritan  ancestry,  colonizing  these 
shores  in  the  first  half  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  yet,  if  such  a 
census  could  be  taken  the  truth  of 
this  statement  would  be  established- 
When  we  remember  that  the  force- 
ful character  of  those  sturdy  English 
men  would  not  be  destroyed  or  en- 
ervated in  their  descendents  by  their 
migration   to   more   western     homes. 


and  when  we  learn  that  the  20,000 
who  formed  the  Puritan  exodus  of 
1620-1640  have  grown  into  one- 
fourth  of  our  population,  the  other 
three-fourths  containing  the  hund- 
reds of  thousands  of  emigrants  and 
their  children  who  have  come  to  us 
since  our  Civil  war,  it  is  apparent 
that  the  argument  is  well  founded. 
To  the  language  of  a  quaint  Puritan 
divine:  "God  sifted  a  whole  nation 
that  he  might  send  choice  grain  in- 
to the  wilderness,"  might  well  be 
added  now  that  this  seed  sown  in 
American  soil  has  produced  a  nation 
far  mightier  than  that  from  which 
the  grain  was  sifted,  and  that  so  long 
as  this  grain  preserTes  its  strength 
and  purity  so  long  will  this  nation 
continue  to  enjoy  the  favor  and  pro- 
tection of  an  over-ruling  Providence 
and  produce  harvests  to  spread  lib- 
erty and  enduring  civilization  among 
the  families  of  the  earth. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  deny  the 
masterly  qualities  and  the  great  in- 
fluence upon  our  national  life  of  the 
Scotch-Irish,  the  Teuton,  the  Quaker 
and  the  cavalier  of  the  south;  their 
admixtures  with  the  predominant 
English  blood  has  made  us  the  great 
people  we  are,  and  without  them 
this  nation  would  not  have  achieved 
her  pre-eminence,  and  yet  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  in  the  learned  pro- 
fessions, in  education,  in  literature, 
in  art,  in  statesmanship,  in  manu- 
facture, and  in  commerce,  the  sons 
of  New  England  have  had  the  greater 
share  in  our  whole  land  and  while 
much  of  this  success  may  have  been 
secured  through  a  descent  from  an 
ancestry  of  more  than  one  nationality 
still  the  fact  remains  that  the  char- 
acteristics of  those  who  flrst  estab- 
lished the  beginnings  of  civil  govern- 
ment on  our  northern  shores  have 
been  the  most  prominent  in  the  lives 
of  our  foremost  American  citizens. 

It  would  seem  but  fitting  that  at 
this  Centennial  celebration  of  a 
typical  New  England  city,  and  one 
whose  name  and  fame  are  widespread 
the  proceedings  should  include  some 
reference  to  this  important  element 
in  our  national  life,  and  to  the  share 
this  section  of  our  land  has  had  in 
bringing  our  Union  of  States  to  its 
present  predominant  position.  He 
who  has  the  honor  to  respond  to  your 
invitation  to  address  you  in  this  line 
of  thought  feels  the  more  free  to  de- 


3i8 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Clare  the  proud  position  the  people 
of  New  England  may  well  claim  when 
he  reminds  you  that  his  birth  place 
was  within  the  bounds  of  the  Empire 
state,  and  his  home  since  childhood 
in  the  Commonwealth  of  the  Key- 
stone, states  to  which  he  is  proud 
to  yield  allegiance,  while  he  must  not 
forget  his  exclusively  Puritan  de- 
scent, and  that  scores  of  his  ances- 
tors sleep  within  the  bounds  of  the 
county  in  which  is  located  the  fair 
municipality  whose  one  hundredth 
birthday  is  this  hour  being  celebrat- 
ed, and  that  many  of  his  forefathers 
were    prominent    in    its    erection    and 


HON.  C.  LaRUE  MUNSON. 

progress,  and  during  their  lives  faith- 
ful to  its  best  interests 

Bearing  in  mind  the  limited  time 
at  our  disposal,  and  that  your  pa- 
tience may  not  be  exhausted,  your  at- 
tention will  be  confined  to  the  de- 
cisive influence  of  the  governmental 
principles  of  the  Puritans  enunciated 
through  the  people  of  i\ew  England 
in  the  formation  of  the  American  na- 
tion, and  in  the  construction  of  the 
constitutional  safeguards  whereby 
our  individual  rights  and  liberties 
are  assured;   not  omitting  a  consider- 


ation of  the  important  share  in  that 
work  secured  by  means  of  the  first 
written  constitution  providing  for  a 
democratic  and  representative  form 
of  government — the  famous  "Funda- 
mental Orders  of  Connecticut," 
formulated  on  January  14th.  1639. 

Historians  direct  our  attention  to 
the  great  system  under  which  the 
world  has  been  ruled:  The  Oriental, 
the  Roman,  and  the  English.  Tersely 
stated,  and  in  the  same  order,  they 
were  conquest  without  incorporation 
of  the  conquered;  conquest  with  in- 
corporation but  without  representa- 
tion to  the  conquered;  and  conquest 
with  an  incorporation  granting  full 
representation  to  the  vanquished.  A 
brief  comparison  of  these  systems  of 
government  will  be  helpful  in  show- 
ing the  strength  of  the  one  which 
has  now  secured  th^  mastery  in  the 
civilized  world;  a  struggle  for  vic- 
tory so  greatly  assisted  through  the 
vigorous  assertion  by  the  Puritans 
of  their  principles  of  individualism 
and  of  free  government,  and  by  their 
final  conversion  on  American  soil  to 
the  doctrine  of  the  total  disseverance 
of  church  and  state. 

In  the  Orient  there  was  always  some 
fusion  between  the  conquered  and  the 
victorious  tribes,  but  only  when  there 
was  a  similarity  of  speech  or  of  re- 
ligion; when  stopped  by  the  bar  of  dif- 
ferences in  these  respects  the  stronger 
overpowered  the  weaker,  refused  it  in- 
corporation into  its  own  body  politic, 
and  reduced  it  to  abject  slavery.  This 
was  the  genesis  of  many  of  the  des- 
potic nations  in  the  valleys  of  the  Eu- 
phrates ana  the  Nile,  and  while  such  a 
treatment  often  resulted  in  the  devel- 
opment of  a  certain  materialistic  civ- 
ilization, evidenced  by  mighty  temples 
and  splendid  royal  palaces  erected  by 
millions  of  telling  wretches,  yet  it 
could  endure  only  until  it  came  into 
contact  with  a  higher  form  of  govern- 
ment. The  history  of  the  Moor  of 
Spain  is  the  best  illustration  of  the 
weakness  of  this  form  of  government, 
a  system  which  still  exists  in  some 
parts  of  the  world,  though  its  day  is 
long  past  and  never  again  will  become 
dominant. 

The  Roman  form  of  government  was 
conquest  with  incorporation  into  the 
body  politic,  but  forbidding  the  essen- 
tial element  of  permanent  national 
success,  representation  in  the  govern- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN, 


319 


ment  of  the  conqueror.  This  system, 
in  comparison  with  the  Oriental,  was  a 
mighty  step  forward  in  the  worli  of 
nation  building,  and  in  its  primary 
condition  might  have  grown  into  the 
perfected  form.  It  was  the  first  time 
liberty  and  union  had  been  joined  to- 
gether, whereby  the  conquered  became 
a  Roman  citizen  and  protected  by  its 
legions,  but  it  could  not  come  to  per- 
fection while  lacking  the  essential 
element  of  local  self-government.  Its 
vice  lay  in  too  strong  a  centralization; 
it  knew  nothing  of  representative  as- 
semblies or  of  the  right  of  individual 
suffrage;  the  Roman  senate  being  but 
the  assembly  of  an  aristocracy  holding 
high  office,  while  its  popular  assem- 
blies were  too  primary,  having  no  con- 
ception of  representative  government. 
The  only  idea  of  the  Roman  system 
was  a  power  delegated  from  the  cen- 
tral authority  to  its  military  deputies 
in  far  off  lands;  there  was  nothing  of 
representation  at  the  center  from  the 
outside.  It  was  a  government  force 
centrifugal  and  working  from  the  cen- 
ter outward  lacked  the  cohesion  neces- 
sary to  preservation.  Had  it  included 
representation  to  all  its  subjects  it 
would  have  been  a  force  centripetal, 
binding  its  people  together  by  leading 
them  from  the  circumference  toward 
the  center.  Had  full  representation 
been  added  to  Roman  incorporation  of 
its  conquered  nations  the  Latin  tongue 
might  have  been  the  language  of  the 
people  to-day,  and  the  world's  govern- 
ment still  seated  upon  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean. 

War  and  conquest  were  necessary  to 
both  the  Oriental  and  the  Roman  sys- 
tems of  government.  No  so  with  the 
present  predominant  method;  it  makes 
possible  a  great  nation  by  a  peaceful 
coalition  of  neighboring  states  and 
their  union  into  a  federal  body;  it 
gives  full  representation  to  all  its 
parts;  it  brings  them  all  under  one 
constitution  and  insures  to  them  indi- 
vidual liberty,  and  thereby  creates 
both  a  free  state  and  a  free  church, 
and  by  those  qualities  unites  its  peo- 
ple, not  as  subjects,  but  as  sovereigns, 
all  with  equal  rights  and  assured  of 
equal  liberties — a  government  by  the 
people,  for  the  people  and  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

In  its  earliest  form  this  idea  of  gov- 
ernment began  with  the  Teutonic 
tribes,     and  when     they  entered     into 


Britain,  after  their  conquest  of  those 
islands,  they  brought  with  them  this 
idea  of  representative  government, 
evidenced  by  their  county  meetings, 
the  germ  of  the  English  Parliament 
and  of  the  American  Congress.  Nor 
did  they  know  of  a  political  religion, 
but  worshipped  Thor  and  Woden  with- 
out state  control.  So  for  a  century 
and  a  half  they  continued,  while  on 
the  continent  the  Roman  system  of 
government  and  of  a  state  church  were 
predominant.  These  ideas  of  repre- 
sentative government  and  of  freedom 
of  worship  have  never  been  eradicated 
from  the  English  character,  and  hence 
on  British  soil  was  fought  the  great 
fight  between  these  two  systems;  one 
the  feudal,  only  another  name  for  the 
Roman,  and  the  other  the  English, 
claiming  self-government  and  liberty 
of  conscience.  This  struggle  was  with 
varying  fortune,  and  until  the  seven- 
teenth century  the  victory  seemed  to 
be  with  the  Roman  idea.  In  that  cen- 
tury the  power  of  the  Puritan  turned 
the  scale  and  Cromwell  and  his  Round- 
heads planted  in  England  for  all  time 
the  impregnable  fortress  of  free  gov- 
ernment and  individual  liberty,  both  in 
state  and  church. 

These  ideas  flourished  still  better 
on  the  virgin  soil  of  New  England, 
where  they  were  not  compelled  to 
overcome  rival  institutions  and  could 
have  full  growth  without  let  or  hind- 
rance. So  it  is  that  our  American 
form  of  government  is  on  a  higher 
plane  than  is  that  of  our  mother  Eng- 
land, yet  together  they  have  come  to 
the  mastery  of  the  earth  in  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  they  stand.  The  cen- 
ter of  the  world's  government  has 
shifted  from  the  Nile,  the  Tiber  and 
the  Rhine,  to  the  Thames  and  the 
Potomac,  until  in  this  twentieth 
century  the  world's  destiny  is  coa- 
trolled  from  London  and  Washington, 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  is  the  mas^ 
ter  of  the  earth.  This  principle  of 
representative  government  and  indi- 
vidual freedom  was  the  keynote  of 
the  Puritan  idea  and  was  the  predom- 
inant thought  in  the  organization  of 
our  s:ovenment.  giving  us  a  system 
vastly  superior  to  that  from  which  it 
had  been  taken.  When  the  English 
crown  refused  to  permit  representa- 
tion as  a  necessary  precedent  to  tax- 
ation, thus  strikina:  at  the  vitals  of 
The  Puritan     idea,  the     New    England 


320 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


colonies  were  foremost  in  its  defense 
and  in  throwing  off  tlie  fetters  of 
monarchial  government,  as  well  as  in 
the  creation  of  a  republic  through 
whose  influence  the  rule  of  the  civil- 
ized world  has  been  wholly  changed. 
This  influence  had  its  part  in  the  up- 
rising of  a  cruelly  down-trodden  peo- 
ple, who  passing  through  the  horrors 
of  a  revolution  before  or  since  un- 
known to  history,  and  through  the 
dangers  attendant  upon  the  meteoric 
career  of  the  mighty  Napoleon, 
emerged  into  the  Republic  of  France, 
whose  watchwords  are  "liberty,  equal- 
ity and  fraternity."  It  was  an  in- 
fluence which  assisted  in  blending  the 
Teutonic  fatherland  into  a  constitu- 
tional monarchy;  united  disintegrated 
Italy;  reduced  Spain  to  a  minor  world 
power,  and  stripped  her  of  possessions 
which  by  discovery  and  conquest  were 
rightfully  hers,  and  would  have  been 
her  permanent  heritage  had  she  seen 
that  representative  government  could 
alone  endure;  an  influence  which  to- 
day rocks  the  throne  of  the  Hapsburg 
and  is  about  to  force  into  a  constitu- 
tional government  the  mighty  empire 
of  a  despotic  czar. 

It  is  not  to  England  we  must  look 
for  the  motive  power  which  has 
dragged  the  world  from  the  Roman 
form  of  government  to  the  perfection 
of  modern  constitutional  and  liberty 
giving  rule,  but  rather  to  our  own 
system,  which  had  its  inception  and 
received  its  greatest  impulse  from 
the_  founders  of  New  England  upon 
their  migration  to  American  shores. 
Turn  we  our  thoughts  to  the  early 
years  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
How  little  did  the  then  rulers  of  the 
old  world — .Tames  the  First,  seeking 
to  strangle  the  liberties  of  England,  or 
Richelieu,  laying  his  plans  to  buHd  up 
a  kinsrly  desnotism — realize  that  a  lit- 
tle group  of  English  yeomen  were 
founding  a  colony  in  a  western  wil- 
derness from  whose  vigorous  loins 
would  spring  a  mishty  nation  to  dom- 
inate the  world  when  the  Stuart  and 
the  Bourbon  were  alike  forgotten.  Of 
these  Puritans  and  their  English 
brethren  King  .Tames  had  scornfullv 
said:  "I  will  make  them  conform  or  I 
will  harry  them  out  of  the  land."  TTe 
did,  indped.  drive  these  Pilsrrim  Fath- 
ers from  his  land,  but  within  five  gen- 
erations  thereafter   their   descendants 


had  harried  the  English  government 
from  these  shores,  and  within  anoth- 
er five  generations  had  compelled  not 
only  England,  but  as  well  the  whole 
world,  to  conform  to  America's  princi- 
ples of  free  government,  to  America's 
ideas,  to  America's  commercial  pre- 
dominance even  to  America's  mone- 
tary power. 

As  builders  of  states  no  others  have 
succeeded  in  the  western  world,  others 
tried  it  and  failed,  the  English  race 
alone  prevailed.  The  Aztecs,  in  some 
respects  with  an  stonishing  develop- 
ment of  civilization,  first  made  the  at- 
tempt, but  they  are  unknown  to  his- 
tory and  their  memory  is  preserved 
only  by  tradition  and  a  few  relics. 
Spain  undertook  colonization  in  the 
new  world,  but  nothing  remains  save 
a  few  struggling  South  American  re- 
publics, ever  in  the  tnroes  of  revolu- 
tion, and  connected  with  the  proud 
Castilian  only  by  speech  and  charac- 
teristics forbidding  permanence.  The 
French  tried  it,  and  as  they  were 
when  they  landed  at  Quebec  so  are 
they  to-day — from  them  not  one 
branch  has  grown.  Nearly  all  the  na- 
tions of  Europe  made  the  experiment, 
even  the  Dutch  at  New  Amsterdam; 
all  are  swallowed  up  in  the  great 
Union  of  states  initiated  by  the  Eng- 
lish and  destined,  so  long  as  It  re- 
mains true  to  the  principles  of  its 
founders,  to  a  permanency  co-exten- 
sive with  time  itself. 

The  germ  of  our  constitutional 
rights  and  liberties  was  contained 
within  the  character  of  the  Puritan; 
his  was  a  grand  character  because  of 
what  he  said  and  did,  and  by  reason 
of  that  which  circumstances  and  en- 
vironment did  for  him.  Fighting  with 
the  state  for  his  liberty  he  learned  to 
doubt,  and  then  to  deny,  the  divine 
right  of  kings:  fighting  with  a  state 
church  for  his  conscience,  its  posses- 
sion and  expression,  he  learned  to 
doubt,  then  to  deny  the  divine  right 
of  rule  by  a  political  prelacy.  These 
conditions  created  within  him  a  spirit 
forcing  him  to  the  belief  that  the 
church  could  control  his  conscience 
only  so  long  as  it  was  governed  by 
Holy  Writ  and  followed  in  the  foot- 
steps of  its  Divine  founder;  above  all 
he  recognized  that  the  only  safety  for 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


321 


the  state  if  it  would  be  free  was  abso- 
lute severance  from  all  hierarchies, 
the  only  foundation  of  perdurable  gov- 
ernment, the  fully  recognition  of  in- 
dividual man  and  the  manhood  of  the 
individual.  With  him  there  was  but 
one  theory — that  every  man  before 
God  was  a  man  with  a  right  to  himself 
and  for  himself  to  speak;  in  short,  the 
essence  of  the  Puritan  principle  was 
individual  freedom;  from  that  alone 
springs  religious  liberty  and  politi- 
cal independence.  The  free  church, 
the  free  state,  the  free  school,  these 
compose  the  triple  armor  preserving 
American  freedom,  American  nation- 
ality and  American  security. 

This  great  principle  underlies  our 
organic  forms  of  government,  both 
state  and  federal,  and  upon  it  was 
built  the  constitution  of  New  Eng- 
land, a  constitution  which  laid  along- 
side those  of  our  states  does  not  vary 
from  them  by  a  single  inch. 

Tracing  the  history  of  constitu- 
tional construction  in  America  we 
cannot  but  note  the  important  part 
Connecticut's  "fundamental  orders" 
had  in  the  framing  of  all  those  which 
followed.  The  earliest  Anglo-Saxon 
declaration  of  rights,  Magna  Charta, 
great  as  it  was,  lacked  the  essential 
element  of  a  constitution;  the  differ- 
ence between  them  being  well  de- 
fined: "A  charter  differs  from  a  con- 
stitution in  that  the  former  is  grant- 
ed by  the  sovereign,  while  the  latter 
is  established  by  the  people  them- 
selves." The  field  of  Runnymede,  on 
June  15,  1215,  witnessed  a  stupendous 
event  in  history  when  the  English 
barons  at  point  of  sword  and  lance 
wrung  from  the  despotic  John  that 
famous  charter  whose  principles  of 
liberty  lie  at  the  very  foundation  of 
free  government,  yet  a  greater  day 
dawned  for  civil  government  when,  on 
January  14,  1639,  and  within  a  few 
miles  from  this  spot,  a  constitution — 
the  first  to  be  formulated  in  writing — 
was  framed  by  the  people  of  the  col- 
ony of  Connecticut  whereby  their  own 
powers  were  to  be  limited  and  con- 
trolled. 

Not  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower, 
where  as  they  styled  thetoselves  "the 
subjects  of  our  dread  sovereign  Lord 
King  James,"  made  their  famous  com- 

21 


pact  and  agreement;  not  in  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  colony,  whose  head  and 
chief  had  said  that  he  did  not  conceive 
that  God  had  ever  ordained  democracy 
as  a  fit  government  either  for  church 
or  commonwealth;  not  in  the  colony  of 
New  Haven,  whose  "Fundamental 
Agreement"  of  June  4,  1639,  was  mar- 
red by  the  requirement  that  none  but 
church  members  should  make  the  laws, 
hold  office,  or  control  public  affairs — ■ 
a  direct  denial  of  man's  equality;  cer- 
tainly not  in  aristocratic  Virginia,  and 
never  claimed  by  New  Amsterdam  or  in 
the  possessions  of  William  Penn,  but 
only  in  the  colony  of  Connecticut, 
where,  on  that  memorable  day  of  Jan- 
uary 14,  1639.  the  judicious  Christians 
composing  the  towns  of  Hartford, 
Windsor  and  Wethersfield,  framed  the 
famous  "Fundamental  Orders  of  Con- 
necticut," incited  thereto  by  the  wise 
Thomas  Hooker,  who  had  maintained 
before  them  that  "the  foundation  of 
authority  is  laid  in  the  full  consent  of 
the  people,"  and  that  "they  who  have 
power  to  appoint  officers  and  magis- 
trates have  the  right  also  to  set  the 
bounds  and  limitations  of  the  power 
and  place  unto  which  they  call  them." 
Here  was  the  genesis  of  all  our  later 
constitutions,  and  of  it  our  Federal 
Constitution  is  the  direct  descendant, 
being  more  nearly  related  to  these 
"Fundamental  Orders"  than  to  any 
other  of  the  constitutions  of  the  thir- 
teen colonies.  Its  most  prominent 
features  lay  in  the  creation  of  a  fed- 
eration of  independent  towns,  reserv- 
ing to  each  other  every  attribute  of 
sovereignty  not  expressly  granted  to 
the  General  Court,  and  providing  that 
while  the  governor  and  council  were  to 
be  crossed  by  a  majority  vote  of  the 
whole  federation,  and  through  a  prac- 
tically universal  suffrage,  yet  each 
town  had  preserved  to  itself  an  equal- 
ity of  representation  in  the  assembly. 
Here  is  found  the  germ  of  our  national 
legislative  organization.  Its  force  is 
well  evidenced  by  the  historical  fact 
that  Connecticut  saved  the  day  in  the 
chief  crisis  of  the  Federal  Constitution 
convention  of  1787,  when  her  delegates, 
William  Samuel  Johnson  and  Roger 
Sherman,  brought  forth  and  secured 
the  wise  compromise  whereby  each 
state  was  given  equal  representation 
in  the  Senate  and  popular  representa- 
tion in  the  lower  house;  a  system 
which  has  been  proven  by  time  to  be 


322 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


most  wise,  and  against  which  no  voice 
has  ever  been  raised. 

Of  the  influence  of  Connecticut's  first 
constitution  upon  our  governmental  in- 
stitutions, and  her  share  in  American 
progress,  a  great  orator  well  said: 

"Here  was  the  beginning  of  the  first 
democratic  commonwealth,  the  first 
formulated  assertion  of  the  people's 
right  to  rule,  the  first  effective  blow  at 
class  privileges.  Here  was  the  dis- 
severance of  church  and  state,  here  the 
establishment  of  town  government,  the 
beginning  of  a  federated  system,  the 
inauguration  of  the  plan  and  model 
upon  which  the  constitution  of  all  suc- 
ceeding commonwealths  and  of  the 
United  States  were  formed."  From 
that  time  Connecticut  has  gone  on  do- 
ing solid,  useful  work  in  the  world. 
Steadfast  without  bigotry,  brave  with- 
out boasting,  earnest  without  fanatic- 
ism, positive  without  dogmatism,  her 
well  descended  sons  trace  back  their 
lineage  with  pride  to  those  "judicious 
Christians"  of  1639.  The  word  which 
Napoleon  could  not  do  without,  but 
which  Wellington  never  needed,  does 
not  bedizen  the  fair  pages  on  which 
the  story  of  Connecticut  is  told.  No 
"glories"  flaunt  themselves  along  that 
simple  record  of  the  natural  and  or- 
derly growth  and  progress  of  a  com- 
monwealth of  earnest  men.  Their  an- 
cestors were  workingmen,  not  treading 
any  shining  path,  but  trudging  work- 
day fashion  to  their  chosen  work  in 
the  world. 

So  went  John  Mason  and  his  men 
,  to  the  Pequot  war;  so  hurried  Israel 
Putnam  and  his  followers  to  Bunker 
Hill;  so  that  wise,  painstaking  mer- 
chant, .Jonathan  Trumbull,  by  his 
unselfish  devotion  and  tireless  activ- 
ity gathered  for  Washington  the 
sinews  of  war  when  the  struggle 
seemed  hopeless;  so  in  every  crisis 
and  at  every  point  in  history  for 
more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  the  steady  going  every  day 
workmen  of  the  first  democratic 
commonwealth  on  this  continent,  un- 
knighted  and  unplumed,  unmoved  by 
aught  but  the  sense  of  duty,  have 
stood  to  the  ranks  and  done  their 
share  in  the  world's  work. 

We  must  not  be  unmindful  of  oth- 
er infiuences  contributing  to  New 
England's  pre-eminence  in  our  na- 
tional organization,  and  which  train- 
ed   her    sons    for    the    statesmanship 


that  created  the  Union  of  states  and 
led  to  lines  of  permanent  success. 
'1  lie  situation  of  the  student  of  the 
evolution  of  our  constitutional  gov- 
ernment is  necessarily  drawn  to  the 
New  England  town  meeting  system, 
known  in  all  its  history  and  still  in 
use.  Thereby  its  people  were  taught 
the  important  lesson  that  they  were 
self  governing  rather  than  governed^ 
tne  very  essence  of  the  democratic 
commonwealth.  There  they  learned, 
by  having  direct  voice  in  the  ques- 
tion that  the  power  of  taxation  is 
lodged  in  the  people  alone,  and  not 
in  their  rulers,  and  that  only  by  their 
direct  suffrage  can  their  property  be 
taken  for  governmental  support  or 
defense-  Tne  inculcation  of  this 
principle  in  the  minds  of  the  people 
of  New  England  led' to  their  denial 
of  the  power  of  the  English  crown 
to  tax  them  while  refusing  them  rep- 
resentation in  the  Legislature  creat- 
ing such  taxation,  and  resulting  in 
the  limitation  in  our  Federal  Con- 
stitution that  all  revenue  bills  must 
originate  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, the  direct  agents  of  the  people, 
chosen  by  their  direct  suffrages  and 
holding  office  for  but  short  terms, 
rendering  the  subjects  to  removal 
should  their  legislation  run  counter 
to  popular  opinion- 
It  was  in  these  town  meetings  that 
the  statesmen  of  New  England  have 
been  trained  for  more  important 
duties,  and  whereby,  having  learned 
the  will  of  the  people  by  direct  con- 
tact with  them,  and  thus  having  bet- 
ter knowledge  of  their  needs,  they 
have  become  their  representatives  in 
the  halls  of  Congress  in  fact  as  well 
as  in  name.  It  must  be  admitted 
that  New  England  has  ever  been 
well  represented  at  our  national  cap- 
itol  and  that  in  no  other  part  of  the 
country  have  such  representatives 
been  accorded  so  many  succeeding 
terms  of  ofiice.  It  may  be  considered 
whether  the  reason  for  this  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  thought  suggested; 
whatever  its  reason  its  results  has 
been  of  decided  advantage  to  the  peo- 
ple of  New  England  and,  indeed,  to 
the   whole   nation. 

Another  great  influence  in  the 
shaping  of  our  national  policy  and 
in  laying  the  foundation  of  our 
Union  of  States  is  found  in  the  New 
England      Confederacy,      formed      in 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


32; 


1643  by  the  colonies  of  Massachus- 
etts, Plymouth,  Connecticut  and  New 
Haven  and  officially  styled  "The 
United  Colonies  of  New  England." 
It  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  league, 
organized  only  for  mutual  protect- 
ion and  under  but  a  crude  plan,  was 
the  suggestion  for,  and,  in  a  primary 
way,  the  type  of  the  future  Union  of 
States.  It  was  the  first  American  at- 
tempt at  colonial  federation  and  con- 
tained some  of  the  essential  prin- 
ciples upon  which  rests  our  present 
federal  constitution.  Each  colony 
retained  its  independence  in  all  in- 
ternal affairs,  including  taxation,  but 
yielded  to  the  majority  vote  of  all 
in  whatever  concerned  the  common 
interests  of  the  confederacj\  then 
confined  to  a  defense  against  their 
turbulent  Indian  neighbors  and  to 
their  relations  with  other  colonies 
and  with  foreign  powers. 

It  was  a  rare  step  in  those  days  to 
create  a  confederacy  without  asking 
the  consent  of  the  home  government, 
but  it  was  the  dawning  of  the  day  when 
the  control  of  that  government  over 
the  colonies  was  to  be  totally  denied; 
indeed  this  compact,  tacitly  at  least, 
recognized  the  sovereignty  of  each  of 
the  four  colonies  by  which  it  was  cre- 
ated, and  therein  lay  the  basic  princi- 
ple for  the  only  possible  future  union 
of  States,  wherein  the  fundamental 
limitation  was  required  and  all  pow- 
ers not  delegated  to  the  central  gov- 
ernment were  reserved  to  the  Sover- 
eign states  creating  that  federation. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  result 
of  the  New  England  confederacy,  and 
following  from  its  continuance  during 
a  period  of  forty  years,  was  in  the  in- 
fluence of  the  colonies  upon  each  other 
in  modifying  their  ideas  of  govern- 
ment, particularly  with  reference  to 
individualism.  Can  we  not  believe 
that  those  who  lived  under  the  theo- 
cratic government  prevailing  in  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  and  in  New  Haven 
drew  lessons  of  wisdom  from  the  dele- 
gates from  more  tolerant  Plymouth 
and  from  democratic  Connecticut,  and 
thereby  were  influenced  to  later  pre- 
vailing views  when  toleration  of  vari- 
ous religious  beliefs  overcame  more 
bigoted  conceptions  of  individual 
rights  of  conscience,  and  no  longer 
was  it  believed  that  union  of  church 
and  state  was  necessary,  or  that  rep- 


resentation in  the  government  should 
be  confined  to  those  holding  but  one 
line  of  theological  belief.  Did  not 
this  association  of  men  of  high  charac- 
ter, and  actuated  by  the  best  of  de- 
sires, lead  to  a  higher  thought  than 
they  had  before  conceived — the  great 
principle  that  government,  to  be  per- 
manent, must  dissever  church  and 
state,  and  give  full  recognition  to 
individual  rights,  both  in  conscience 
and  suffrage?  Thus  there  was  created 
a  greater  New  England,  united  in 
every  part  to  demand  independence 
from  a  despotic  government,  and  to 
be  foremost  in  the  organization  of  a 
union,  one  and  indissoluble,  for  now 
and  for  all  time  the  only  perfect  gov- 
ernment conceived  by  man,  and  an 
example  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
We  may  conclude  with  the  assurance 
that  so  long  as  the  American  people 
remain  faithful  in  the  preservation  of 
these  fundamental  principles  of  free 
government,  and  in  the  defense  of 
our  individual  rights  and  of  freedom 
of  conscience;  so  long  as  this  nation 
will  oppose  a  centralized  form  of 
government  and  its  perversive  results, 
paternalism  and  the  protection  of 
favored  classes  and  conditions;  so 
long  as  we  will  not  refuse  to  re:um 
to  office  those  who  dare  to  do  right 
and  will  fearlessly  expose  fraud  and 
corruption,  no  matter  how  exalted  the 
places  where  they  may  be  found;  then 
so  long  will  we  be  guided  by  the  prin- 
ciples received  as  a  priceless  heritage 
from  the  founders  of  New  England, 
and  thus  and  thus  only  will  peace  and 
happiness,  truth  and  justice,  religion 
and  piety  be  established  among  us  for 
all  generations." 


BY  JULIUS  H.   PRATT. 

Julius  H.  Pratt,  who  now  at  the 
age  of  eighty-five  is  quietly  living  at 
Monclair,  N.  J.,  knows  perhaps  more 
than  any  other  living  man  about  the 
early  struggles  of  the  manufacturers 
who  tried  to  establish  various  lines  of 
business  here.  Below  is  given  in  full 
the  address  that  Mr.  Pratt  gave  on 
Saturday  evening  at  the  First  Con- 
gregational church,  at  the  historical 
and  closing  exercises  of  the  Centen- 
nial   celebration: 


324 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


In  the  year  1846,  just  fifty  years 
ago,  for  business  reasons  and  inspired 
by  the  migatory  instinct  inherent 
in  the  New  Englander  of  that 
period,  I  had  selected  a  home  for  my 
family,  which,  in  its  natural  sur- 
roundings, resembled  dear  old  Meri- 
den  most  nearly  of  any  that  I  could 
And  in  the  suburbs  of  New  York.  The 
rolling  hills  and  rocky  cliffs,  similar 
in  form  but  less  in  size,  surrounded 
the  place  of  my  selection,  and  on  the 
western  horizon,  as  here,  rose  the 
mountain  range  to  a  height  of  two- 
thirds  the  altitude  of  West  Peak. 


JULIUS  H.  PRATT. 


Lest  we  should  sever  too  abruptly 
our  relation  with  the  old  home,  we 
transplanted  to  the  new  soil  many  of 
its  flowering  shrubs  and  vines,  and 
engrafted  upon  the  trees  around  our 
new  home  scions  from  the  luscious 
fruit  trees  of  the  Meriden  homestead, 
and  thus  we  perpetuated  among  our 
children  and  grand-children  the  sweet 
perfumes  and  delicious  flavors  and 
dear  associations  of  our  former  life 
in    Meriden. 

To-day,     in     revisiting     the  greatly 


changed  scenes  of  my  youth,  I  come 
to  you  somewhat  battered  by  the  rav- 
ages of  time,  but  still  as  a  New  Eng- 
lander, and  will  now  try  to  tell  you  a 
few  things  which  happened  here  be- 
fore most  of  you  were  born. 

If  you  ask  why  it  is  that  I  happen 
to  exemplify  one  of  the  few  instances 
of  longevity,  I  can  assign  no  other 
cause  than  simple  perseverance;  I 
have  just  kept  on  living.  Abbreviat- 
ed lives  are  said  to  be  caused  by  too 
much  thinking,  and  one  authority  has 
discovered  that  no  deep  thinkers  or 
able  writers  have  reached  the  cen- 
tury mark.  If  this  is  true  I  will  en- 
deavor to  avoid  undue  mental  effort 
in  order  to  be  present  at  your  next 
celebration.  The  special  subject  as- 
signed to  me  for  consideration  is,  "The 
Infant  Industries  of  Meriden  During 
the  Second  Quarter  of  the  Last  Cen- 
tury." 

The  history  of  Meriden  manufac- 
turers has  been  very  fully  treated  of 
in  printed  chronicles,  which  probably 
have  been  read  by  most  of  my  audi- 
ence, and  I  shall,  therefore,  only  at- 
tempt to  add,  from  my  own  memory, 
some  facts  omitted  in  the  published 
history,  and  perhaps  fill  up  certain 
vacant  spaces  between  the  salient  fea- 
tures described  by  other  writers. 

In  1825  "industry"  in  the  town  of 
Meriden  was  universal.  There  were 
no  idlers;  the  farmer  at  his  plow,  the 
carpenter  at  his  bench,  the  blacksmith 
at  his  forge,  the  shoemaker  at  his 
last,  the  tailor  with  his  goose,  the 
housewife  with  never  ending  de- 
mands for  her  ubiquitous  services,  all 
were  busy  from  dawn  to  dark  in  a 
working  day  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
hours.  But  "industries,"  as  under- 
stood in  our  modern  classification, 
were  few  and  comparatively  insignifi- 
cant. Auxiliary  power  to  lighten 
human  labor,  was  restricted  to  the 
natural  force  of  gravitation,  acting 
upon  the  descending  water  of  the 
streams   which   traversed   the   town. 

Sparsely  scattered  along'  the  water 
courses,  there  were  visible  only  the 
germs  of  machinery,  which  in  the  fu- 
ture were  to  expand  into  gigantic 
growth  with  the  advent  of  the  steam 
engine  and  its  illimitable  power. 
Commencing  near  the  sources  of  the 
Harbor  brook,  in  the  eastern  section 
of     the     town,  at  the  point  where  it 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


325 


crosses  the  Middletown  road,  could  be 
noticed  a  carding  and  fulling  mill 
where  the  wool,  brought  from  the 
surrounding  farms  was  prepared  for 
the  spinning  wheels  tended  by  the 
nimble  fingers  of  the  farmers'  wives 
and  daughters  in  their  busy  life  at 
home.  F^irther  down  the  stream,  at 
the  crossing  of  the  Westfield  road, 
was  the  saw  mill  of  Asahel  Baldwin, 
which  converted  the  farmers'  logs  in- 
to the  various  forms  necessary  for 
the  homes  of  the  inhabitants  and  for 
housing  their  cattle.  Adjoining  it 
was  a  grist  mill  where  the  farmers' 
grain  was  prepared  for  home  con- 
sumption and  more  or  less  "toll"  was 
abstracted  in  the  process.  Next  in 
order,  at  the  crossing  of  the  New 
Haven  and  Hartford  turnpike  was  the 
ivory  comb  factory  of  Howard  Pratt 
&  Company,  from  which  the  products 
were  sent  abroad  to  the  unfortunate 
people  who  needed  them  more  than 
the  cleanly  and  well  groomed  citizens 
of  Meriden.  A  mile  below,  near 
where  the  Bradley  &  Hubbard  works 
are  now  located,  a  small  water  power 
was  utilized  by  Isbell  &  Curtis  for 
making  door  latches,  and  a  mile  fur- 
ther on,  at  the  crossing  of  the  old 
Hanover  road  was  a  saw  mill,  the 
last  obstruction  to  the  natural  flow  of 
Harbor  brook  before  losing  its  iden- 
tity in  the  Quinnlpiac  river.  The 
'Sodom  brook  was  undisturbed  by  hu- 
man industries,  excepting  only  one 
sawmill  at  the  crossing  of  the  South- 
ington  road,  and  the  speckled  trout 
continued  to  sport  in  its  pure  waters 
long  after  they  had  been  persecuted 
and  driven  from  their  homes  in  all 
the  other  streams,  where,  at  the  time 
we  are  now  considering,  they  flour- 
ished abundantly.  A.nother  tributary 
of  the  Quinnipiac  was  the  little  stream 
at  Crow  Hollow  which,  although  di- 
minutive in  size,  was  rapid  in  its  flow 
for  the  brass  works  of  Lauren  Merri- 
am  and  the  ivory  comb  works  of  Wal- 
ter Webb  &  Company.  The  Quinni- 
piac river,  near  the  Cheshire  border, 
was  only  partially  utilized  by  Henry 
Griswold  for  the  manufacture  of  bone 
buttons  and  wooden  pocket  combs. 
Lower  down,  at  Hanover,  the  abund- 
ant water  power  was  partially  used  by 
Brooks  &  'Tibbals  for  the  manufacture 
of  augurs,  and  half  a  mile  below  by 
Sanford  r'armelee  &  Company  tor  the 


manufacture   of  skates   and   augurs. 

The  foregoing  constitute  all  the  fac- 
tories in  Meriden  in  the  year  1830 
that  were  operated  by  auxiliary  pow- 
er, excepting  the  tannery  works  of 
John  Butler,  at  the  corner  of  Liberty 
and  Broad  streets,  and  the  pewter 
works  of  Ashabel  Griswold  adjoining 
his  residence  on  Griswold  street,  each 
of  which  employed  one  horse,  attach- 
ed to  a  sort  of  merry-go-round  to 
move  their  light  machinery.  But  the 
mechanical  work  performed  solely  by 
manual  labor  at  this  period,  repre- 
sented more  properly  the  infant  in- 
dustries  of   Meriden. 

Adjoining  the  homes  of  many  of  the 
inhabitants,  notably  several  branches 
of  the  ubiquitous  Curtis  family,  were 
little  shops  where  pewter  table  wares 
were  made  by  the  men  and  boys  of 
the  family,  and  several  large  shops, 
employing  many  hands,  were  active 
in  producing  tin  ware  of  an  infinite 
variety,  those  of  Patrick  Clark  &  Sons, 
of  Clarksville,  Goodrich  and  Rutty, 
south  of  the  Center  and  Noah  Pome- 
roy  at  the  east  side  being  the  most 
notable.  These  goods  were  marketed 
exclusively  by  peddlers  whose  peri- 
grinations  extended  over  all  sections 
of  our  then  inhabited  country.  This 
method  of  disposing  of  the  goods  was 
necessary  in  that  period  which  was 
prior  to  the  era  of  interstate  com- 
merce stimulated  by  railroads  and 
express  companies,  as  common  car- 
riers, and  the  telegraph  with  its 
sympathetic  nerves  of  intelligence. 
The  rate  of  postage  on  a  single  letter, 
payable  in  Spanish  coin,  the  only 
kind  in  circulation  at  that  time,  was 
from  six  and  a  quarter  cents  to,  twen- 
ty-five according  to  distance  and  if  the 
letter  was  in  two  pieces  or  more,  no 
matter  how  small,  the  rate  was  dou- 
ble or  more  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  pieces.  Envelopes  had  not 
then  been  invented  and  if  they  had 
been  used,  would  have  incurred  dou- 
ble postage. 

I  believe  that  all  the  manufacturing 
industries  of  1830  which  afforded  a 
livelihood  for  the  people  of  Meriden 
with  perhaps  one  exception  (the  au- 
gur works  near  Yalesville)  have  whol- 
ly disappeared.  A  little  later  there 
were  other  branches  of  industry,  de- 
pending on  the  fashions  of  the  times, 
which  had  a  spasmodic  and  ephemeral 
existence. 


326 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


CARPET    BAGS    AND    HOOP    SKIRTS. 

Such  was  the  manufacture  of  the 
real,  original  carpet  bags  which  fell 
into  disrepute  after  the  Civil  war, 
and  of  corsets,  hoop-skirts,  and  bal- 
morals  which  like  all  feminine  habili- 
ments had  their  day  and  went  out  of 
fashion.  These  constituted  a  large 
business,  and  the  versatile  proprietor, 
Jedediah  Wilcox,  who  recognized  no 
such  word  as  discouragement,  had 
the  happy  faculty  of  jumping  from  a 
sinking  ship  to  another  that  would 
float,  and  so  kept  in  touch  with  the 
various  phases  of  feminine  attire  of 
that  period. 

men's  neckwear. 
Probably  only  a  few  of  this  audi- 
ence know  that  an  article  of  neckwear 
called  a  "stock"  was  once  manufac- 
tured extensively  by  Allen  and  Heze- 
kiah  Rice.  Before  its  introduction, 
the  prevailing  fashion  demanded  a 
long  and  broad  neckcloth,  generally 
white,  around  the  neck,  which  was  of- 
ten worn  without  a  collar.  The  stock 
was  made  of  silk  or  satin,  covering  a 
frame-work  of  bristles,  three  or  four 
inches  wide,  and  clasped  around  the 
neck  by  a  buckle  behind.  The  bris- 
tles were  more  effective  as  a  stiffener 
than  the  starch  which  Beau  Brummel, 
a  generation  before,  had  introduced 
and  caused  to  be  adopted  throughout 
the  civilized  world.  The  only  ex- 
cuse for  such  a  monstrosity  as  the 
"stock"  was,  that  it  acted  as  a  buf- 
fer to  make  easy  the  transition  from 
the  old-fashioned  neckcloth  to  the 
modern  tie  which  has  since  prevailed. 
While  the  fashion  lasted  it  gave  em- 
ployment to  many  women  and  girls 
in  Meriden,  but  after  a  short  period, 
like  the  other  ill-fated  Infant  Indus- 
tries, it  vanished  from  sight. 

WOODEN    CLOCKS. 

The  manufacture  of  wooden  wheel 
clocks  was  profitably  carried  o.i 
for  a  few  years  by  Ira  Twiss  & 
Brothers,  who  built  their  factory  at 
the  head  of  Prattsville  pond  in  the 
third  decade  of  the  century.  I  am 
tempted  here  to  wander  from  the 
strict  line  of  my  subject  to  tell  of 
one  or  two  historical  incidents  sug- 
gested  by  the  clock  industry. 

The  evolution  of  clock  making  in 
our  country  through  its  many  phases 
from  the  old  "grandfather's  hall 
clock"    to    the    dollar    variety    which 


can  now  be  seen  in  the  poorest  cabin, 
is  an  interesting  story,  especially  so 
to  me,  because  my  grandfather, 
Phineas  Pratt,  of  Saybrook,  was  a 
noted  clock  maker  in  his  day.  He 
was  so  skillful  that  he  constructed  a 
submarine  boat,  the  first  ever  made, 
so  far  as  we  know.  This  was  during 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  the 
boat  which  was  named  "The  Amer- 
ican Turtle,"  was  engaged  in  two  at- 
tempts to  blow  up  the  flagship  "Asia" 
of  the  British  fleet  lying  at  anchor 
in  East  river.  New  York-  The  boat 
lay  under  the  hull  of  the  "Asia"  for 
about  two  hours  in  the  attempt  to 
fasten  a  torpedo  to  the  hull.  This 
attempt  was  not  successful,  but  re- 
sulted in  an  explosion  near  to  the 
ship  which  caused  the  sudden  depart- 
ure of  the  fleet  from  East  river  and 
a  retreat  to  the  lower  bay.  The  his- 
torian of  the  incident  closes  his  ac- 
count by  the  statement  that  "the  ter- 
ror it  inspired  among  British  officers 
and  seamen  undoubtedly  did  much 
toward  preventing  the  raids  along 
our  coast  and  other  damages  by  tlit> 
British  fleet." 

A  full  account  of  the  boat  and  its 
achievements  was  published  in  the 
New  York  Commercial  Advertiser, 
November  15th,  1821,  when  many 
witnesses  were  still  living  to  verify 
it  and  the  same  account  was  repub- 
lished with  illustrations  in  the  New 
York  Herald  of  September  5th,  1897. 
The  grandfather  clock,  constructed 
throughout  by  hand  labor,  was  neces- 
sarily expensive,  and,  early  in  the 
century,  cheap  mantel  clocks  with 
wooden  wheels  were  made  in  Water- 
bury,  first  by  Lemuel  Harrison,  the 
reputed  inventor,  and  the  business 
had  assumed  large  proportoions  in 
1820  to  1830,  when  Ira  Twiss  & 
Bros.'  built  their  factory  in  Meriden. 
The  clocks  were  distributed  by  ped- 
dlers, all  over  the  country,  and  ev- 
eiybody  that  could  afford  it,  bought 
one,  but  having  used  it,  never  bought 
another.  The  contraction  and  ex- 
pansion of  the  wood  responding  to 
atmospheric  changes  caused  confus- 
ion and  chaos  in  the  works,  and  the 
peddlers  became  shy  of  going  over 
the  route  twice.  The  novelty,  while 
it  lasted  was  profitable  to  the  manu- 
facturers, but  that  was  another  of  the 
industries   that  died   in  inf,ancy. 

In  the  year  1835  or  about  that 
time,  Chauncey  Jerome  of  Bristol  de- 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


327 


vised  machinery  with  dies  for  stamp- 
ing out  clock  wheels  from  brass 
plates  of  suitable  thickness,  and  com- 
menced the  manufacture  of  brass 
wheel  clocks.  Numerous  other  man- 
ufacturers in  Bristol,  Terryville, 
Plymouth  and  Waterbury  followed 
his  lead  and  thus  the  great  clock  in- 
dustry has  continued,  until  now, 
when  a  million  time  pieces  are  said 
to  be  turned  out  in  a  month  by  a 
single  establishment  in  Connecticut. 
Bradley  &  Hubbard  were  enga.^ed  in 
this  manufacture  in  Meriacn  about 
the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the 
cases  being  made  of  origi'ial  iron 
work.  The  genius  of  this  enterpris- 
ing firm  was  adapted  to  a  more  .-im- 
bitious  achievement  than  that  of 
marking  the  pace  of  Old  Father  Time, 
and  they  abandoned  it  for  one  which 
has  been  always  ahead  of  other  peo- 
ple's time,  and  another  of  Meriden 
industries  perished   in   infancy. 

JOHN    BULL,    PEDDLER   OF    YANKEE    CLOCKS. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  clock 
making,  I  may  be  pardoned  for  al- 
luding to  a  remarkable  incident  with- 
in my  perusal  of  knowledge,  by  which 
the  British  government,  owing  to  ob- 
tuseness  in  recognizing  the  potency 
of  Yankee  inventive  « skill,  uncon- 
sciously became  the  active  promotor 
of  a  vast  trade  in  Yankee  clocks 
throughout  the  whole  United  Empire. 
Chauncey  Jerome,  stimulated  by  his 
great  success  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  needy  invented  time-pieces,  ex- 
ported to  Liverpool  in  the  -^.arly 
forties  a  large  invoice  of  the  goods, 
on  which  he  fixed  a  valuation  of  one 
guinea  each,  a  price  which  afforded 
a  satisfactory  profit. 

The  custom  house  officers  at  Liv- 
erpool seized  the  cargo,  because  of 
undervaluation,  believing  that  the 
clocks  could  not  be  produced  at  the  in- 
voice price.  In  conformity  with  Eng- 
lish laws,  they  paid  the  amount  of 
invoice,  and  the  governmeni  ac- 
quired possession  of  the  goods.  Mr. 
Jerome,  pleased  with  this  easy  .iiid 
unexpected  sale,  sent  another  and 
much  larger  cargo,  with  the  same 
valuation,  and  by  the  same  process 
made  another  immense  salt  to  a  cash 
customer.  Confident  that  he  could 
endure  that  kind  of  pun'shmont  as 
long  as  John  Bull  cared  to  inflict  it, 
he  sent  a  third  cargo  with  a  simi)ar 
result.     The  British  jTovernment  then 


waked  up  to  the  fa?t  that  they  had 
encountered  a  commercial  problem 
which  required  them  to  find  a  mar- 
ket for  a  new  and,  at  li;'st,  unsalable 
class  of  merchandise,  ind  v^hen  I  vis- 
ited England  in  1846  (crossing  in  the 
one  only  steamer  that  plying  between 
New  York  and  Europe)  I  found  in  Ihe 
cities  of  Liverpool,  Mancnes^.ar,  Bir- 
mingham and  London  small  booths 
and  stores  erected  by  the  government 
in  various  sections  of  those  cities, 
with  conspicuous  signs,  advertising 
"American  Clocks"  for  sale,  and  thus 
with  the  greatest  assiduity,  the  Brit- 
ish government,  with  its  ill-Imitable 
facilities  was  drumming  up  custom- 
ers for  Yankee  goods.  A  comfortable 
fortune  for  the  enterprising  i^Ir. 
Jerome  was  the  result. 

The  Ivory  Comb  factory  of  Julius 
Pratt  &  Co.,  (successor  to  Howard 
Pratt  &  Co.)  at  the  time  we  are  now 
considering,  was  the  most  advanced  of 
any  in  Meriden,  in  labor  saving  ma- 
chinery. The  cutting,  or  more  prop- 
erly sawing  of  the  fine  teeth  of  the 
comb  was  a  very  delicate  process, 
producing  teeth  varying  in  thickness 
from  one-thirtieth  to  one-eightieth  of 
an  inch.  The  saws  were  circular, 
about  three  inches  in  diameter  and 
thin  as  paper,  and  were  imported  from 
France.  The  other  parts  of  the  ma- 
chinery were  made  by  mechanics  in 
the  factory.  The  machine  was  auto- 
matic, requiring  only  that  the  blank 
or  plate  of  ivory,  already  formed  in 
comb  shape,  should  be  fixed  in  posi- 
tion, and  then,  by  touching  a  spring 
the  machine  would  produce  a  complete 
comb  and  stop  when  its  work  was 
done.  There  was  not  one  failure  in  a 
thousand  times  of  operation  and  one 
girl  could  easily  manage  five  machines 
simultaneously. 

There  were  about  twenty  processes 
between  the  crude  tusk  of  ivory  and 
the  finished  products,  all  of  them  per- 
formed by  the  aid  of  machines,  most  of 
which  were  invented  by  mechanics  em- 
ployed in  the  factory.  The  tusks  of 
ivory  were  from  five  to  eight  feet  long 
weighing  an  average  of  sixty  to  eighty 
pounds  each,  and  were  imported  from 
Zanzibar  which  was  the  center  of  all 
the  ivory  traffic  of  Eastern  and  Central 
Africa  and  controlled  absolutely  by  the 
sultan  of  Zanzibar. 

Miniature  portraits  on  ivory  were  in 
vogue  at  the  time,  for  Daguerre    had 


328 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


not  then  captured  the  elusive  rays  of 
the  sun  and  forced  them  into  the  ser- 
vice of  making  pictures.  A  miniature 
painter  in  New  York,  named  Hite,  was 
desirous  of  painting  family  groups  on 
•a  large  scale  and  offered  a  liberal  sum 
for  ivory  sheets  a  foot  square  or  more, 
the  sheets  in  ordinary  use  being  re- 
stricted to  four  or  five  inches,  the  di- 
ameter of  the  tusk  inside  the  enamel. 
Benjamin  Stedman,  the  head  machinist 
of  the  establishment,  assisted  by  Fen- 
ner  Bush  invented  a  machine  for  saw- 
ing thin  sheets  of  ivory  around  the 
block,  by  the  same  process  which. 
;since  that  time,  has  been  adopted  for 
:sawing  wood  veneers.  By  the  appli- 
-cation  of  water  for  softening  the  ivory, 
this  machine  produced  sheets  four- 
teen inches  wide  and  of  any  desired 
length.  A  specimen  was  sent  to  *:i\e 
World's  fair  in  London  in  1851,  four- 
teen inches  wide  and  fifty-two  feet 
long  and  was  accorded  the  most  con- 
spicuous position,  hanging  from  the 
dome  of  the  Crystal  Palace.  I  may 
be  permitted  to  mention  also  that  in 
the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Wa^sn- 
ington,  among  the  government  relics, 
may  be  seen  a  solid  ivory  cane  with 
heavy  gold  mountings  which  was  pre- 
sented to  John  Quincy  Adams  by  Ju- 
lius Pratt  &  Co.,  in  testimony  of  his 
brave  fight  in  Congress  for  the  right 
of  free  speech.  The  goods  produced 
by  Julius  Pratt  &  Co.,  more  perfect 
and  cheaper  than  the  hand-made  pro- 
ducts of  European  manufacture,  found 
their  way  to  all  countries  where  com- 
merce had  gained  a  foothold.  Tne 
ivory  comb  factory  of  Walter  Webb  & 
Co.,  first  at  Crow  Hollow  and  after- 
ward at  Hanover,  was,  in  a  sense,  aux- 
iliary to  that  of  Julius  Pratt  &  Co.,  the 
partners  in  the  former  being  partners 
in  the  latter  also,  and  the  purchases 
and  sales  were  made  on  joint  account. 
In  1848  the  factory  of  Julius  Pratt  & 
Co.  was  destroyed  by  fire,  and  in  or- 
der to  supply  the  trade,  the  Hanover 
works  were  operated  continuously 
night  and  day  for  more  than  a  year  at 
a  profit  amounting  to  100  per  cent,  m 
the  capital.  The  reconstructed  fac- 
tory at  Prattsville  was  quite  superior 
in  style  and  convenience  to  that  at 
Hanover  and  Mr.  Pratt  in  a  bantering 
way  called  Mr.  Webb's  attention  to  +he 
contrast,  to  which  Mr.  Webb  replied, 
"it  is  not  the  best  looking  fiddle  that 
plays  the  best  tune."      The  verification 


of  the  remark  appeared  in  the  respec- 
tive dividends. 

These  two  companies  and  another 
in  Deep  River  became  consolidated  in 
I8G3,  and  constituted  one  of  the  first, 
so-called,  "trusts"  in  the  country.  The 
business  of  the  new  company  became 
extensive  and  profitable,  including  a 
large  establishment  in  Deep  River, 
which,  by  the  introduction  of  machin- 
ery, superseded  the  old  method  of 
hand-work  in  the  making  of  piano 
and  organ  keys  and  secured  the  pat- 
ronage and  trade  of  nearly  all  the 
piano  and  organ  makers  in  the  coun- 
try. In  the  course  of  time  the  new  in- 
vention of  cheaper  materials,  hard 
rubber  and  celluloid  and  the  increas- 
ing scarcity  of  ivory,  caused  a  collapse 
of  the  manufacture  of  ivory  goods, 
and  thus  another  of  the  infant  indus- 
tries of  Meriden  disappeared. 

HIGH    CHARACTER    AND    INTELLIGENCE. 

In  passing  it  may  be  interesting  to 
notice  the  difference  in  personality  of 
the  operatives  employed  at  that  per- 
iod and  those  of  the  present  time. 
In  all  the  mills  and  factories  of  the 
former  period  the  operatives  were  al- 
most without  ^exception  native  born, 
of  respectable  families,  and  had  re- 
ceived a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion. In  the  city  of  Lowell,  Mass., 
a  monthly  magazine  of  good  literary 
merit  was  edited  and  conducted  ex- 
clusively by  the  operatives  of  the  cot- 
ton mills,  and  many  of  them  of  both 
sexes  went  forth  into  the  arena  of 
social  and  public  life  and  became  in- 
fluential members  of  society.  Sev- 
eral of  the  girls  employed  in  the 
Prattsville  comb  factory  gratified  their 
ambition  for  the  higher  education  at 
Mount  Holyoke  seminary,  and  as 
many  as  eight  of  them  became  the 
wives  of  gospel  ministers. 

One  of  the  feminine  graduates  of  the 
Plattsville  factory  is  the  author  of  the 
interesting  and  well  written  book,  the 
perusal  of  which  has  doubtless  afford- 
ed much  pleasure  to  the  citizens  of 
Meriden.  Of  the  men  who  went  into 
a  larger  life,  I  will  mention  one  es- 
pecially noticeable.  The  dullest  boy 
in  the  factory,  who  was  generally 
ridiculed  for  his  stupidity,  happened, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  to  stray  into 
the  library  of  Fenner  Bush  and  re- 
ceived   a    new   inspiration    and   desire 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


329 


for  mental  improvement.  He  was 
encouraged  by  the  benevolent  and 
genial  owner  of  the  books  and  spent 
such  time  as  was  available  in  reading. 
This  was  followed  by  a  desire  for  a 
better  education,  and  having  saved 
his  earnings  he  went  to  a  school  of 
the  higher  order,  and  by  work  and 
teaching  at  intervals  was  graduated 
and  studied  law.  He  became  the 
most  eminent  lawyer  at  the  New  York 
bar  in  criminal  law  practice  and  sub- 
sequently the  special  counsel  and  at- 
torney of  Commodore  Vanderbilt  with 
a  compensation  which  brought  to  him 
large  wealth  and  social  position.  He 
formed  a  matrimonial  connection  with 
one  of  the  time  honored  families  of 
Western  New  York.  His  name  was 
Henry  L.    Clinton. 

PATERNAL    RELATION    OF    EMPLOYER. 

The  relation  of  Julius  Pratt  to  his 
employes  was  eminently  paternal. 
He  felt  responsible  for  the  good  be- 
havior of  every  one  of  them  and  the 
rigid  rules  he  required  them  to  ob- 
serve were  enforced  with  an  iron 
hand.  No  applicant  for  employment 
was  accepted  until  a  thorough  inves- 
tigation of  his  or  her  antecedents  and 
character  had  been  made. 

In  their  boarding  houses  their  po- 
sition was  that  of  members  of  a  well- 
regulated  family,  and  at  10  o'clock 
each  night  the  outside  doors  were 
locked  and  they  retired  to  rest.  The 
office  of  the  factory  was  shut  off  from 
the  working  room  by  a  glass  partition, 
through  which  Mr.  Pratt's  observant 
eye  could  take  cognizance  of  the  fidel- 
ity and  behavior  of  the  employed.  His 
severe  method  of  go-^firnment,  how- 
ever, was  tempered  with  a  kind  and 
unostentatious  generosity  to  those 
who  needed  his  aid,  especially  in  ac- 
quiring a  better  education,  and  long 
after  he  had  passed  away,  his  benefici- 
aries, some  times  with  moistened 
eyes,  gratefully  recounted  the  favors 
bestowed  by  their  "dear  Father 
Pratt." 

MORAL   PRINCIPLE  VS.   COMMERCIALISM. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions, 
which  he  expressed  \n  language  often 
forcible  and  some  times  flavored  with 
humor,  as  will  appear  from  an  inci- 
dent which  brought  him     unwillingly 


into  public  notice,  and  furnished  some 
political  capital  for  the  newspapers 
and  politicians  during  the  exciting 
period  preparatory  to  our  national  civ- 
il conflict.  It  was  the  time  when  great 
alarm  was  felt  among  northern  man- 
ufacturers and  merchants  having 
business  relations  in  the  southern 
states,  at  the  prospect  of  commercial 
losses,  inevitable  in  me  event  of 
war,  and  many  such  hastened  to  re- 
cord themselves  as  opposed  to  the  so- 
called  coercion  of  the  south.  Those 
who  failed  to  join  the  movement  were 
put  upon  a  black  list  to  be  published 
throughout    the    southern   cities. 

Interested  parties  and  politicians  in 
Connecticut  proposed  to  hold  a  state 
convention  to  express  their  sympathy 
with  the  southern  cause,  and  the  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  visited  Julius 
Pratt  and  requested  his  signature  to 
the  call  for  a  convention.  He  refused 
the  request.  They  argued  with  him 
that  his  refusal  to  join  the  movement 
would  deprive  him  of  all  his  south- 
ern customers,  to  which  he  replied,  "If 
the  southerners  don't  want  my  combs, 
they  can  go  lousy."  This  remark  had 
a  special  significance,  because  Mr. 
Pratt  and  his  business  associates  pro- 
duced all  that  species  of  goods  In  the 
market. 

TABLE    CUTLERY. 

Of  the  manufacture  of  table  cut- 
lery, which  was  in  full  operation  to- 
wards the  close  of  the  second  quar- 
ter of  the  century,  I  may  rescue  from 
oblivion  some  facts  which  the  search- 
light of  your  astute  historian  failed  to 
discover.  It  was  one  of  the  infant  in- 
dustries which,  when  protected  with 
even  a  thirty  per  cent,  tariff  duty,  had 
a  long  and  severe  struggle  for  life. 

About  the  year  183  6  two  voung 
men  named  Evans  and  Longdon,  cut- 
lers by  trade,  came  from  Sheffield, 
i!.ngland,  to  start  the  manufacture  of 
table  cutlery  in  this  countrv.  Ap- 
palled by  the  high  wages  paid  for  me- 
chanical labor  here,  ($1.25  to  $1.50 
per  day)  they  established  their  works 
at  the  Wethersfield  state  prison 
where  they  paid  the  state  for  convict 
labor  thirty  cents  and  forty  cents  per 
day.  The  convicts  were  of  all  ages 
and  many  of  them  confined  for  such 


330 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


short  terms  that  they  could  not  ac- 
quire any  useful  knowledge  of  the 
work  to  be  done.  Their  reckless  hab- 
its caused  great  destruction  of  the 
valuable  material  used,  especially  the 
ivory  of  which  the  handles  were  made 
and  in  about  two  years  the  English- 
men became  bankrupt.  Their  agent 
in  New  York  had  advanced  several 
thousand  dollars  in  promoting  their 
enterprise  and  in  the  hope  of  recover- 
ing the  debt  he  assumed  the  busi- 
ness and  in  about  two  years  more  he 
was   obliged   to   suspend. 

Julius  Pratt  &  Co.  had  supplied 
the  ivory  handles  for  which  the  afore- 
said agent  was  owing  a  considerable 
sum,  and  they  in  turn,  hoping  to  re- 
cover the  claim  assumed  the  business. 
Two  years  of  experiment  proved  to 
them  that  ruin  awaited  any  persons 
w^ho  attempted  to  make  ivory  handle 
cutlery  by  the  employment  of  prison 
labor.  Walter  Webb  &  Co.  had  a  va- 
cant shop  and  abundant  water  power 
at  Hanover,  and  a  man  of  practical 
experience  was  found  in  the  person  of 
David  N.  Ropes  of  Saccarappa,  Me. 
Thus  was  formed  in  184  5  the  firm  of 
Pratt,  Ropes,  Webb  &  Co.  Mr.  Ropes 
was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  per- 
severance and  soon  learned  that  com- 
petition with  European  cheap  labor 
could  be  overcome  only  by  the  in- 
vention and  use  of  labor  saving  ma- 
chinery. He  was  himself  a  skillful 
mechanic,  and,  with  others  whom  he 
employed,  invented  successively  many 
machines,  by  which  he  at  last  pro- 
duced better  and  cheaper  goods  than 
those  produced  in  England  and  Ger- 
many. 

A  sound  argument  in  favor  of  a 
protective  tariff,  at  that  time,  is 
found  in  the  fact  that  under  the  most 
favoring  circumstances,  such  as  good 
water  power,  intelligent  operatives 
and  indomitable  energy,  Mr.  Ropes 
devoted  ten  years  of  untiring  labor 
in  building  up  this  new  industry, 
witnout  one  dollar  of  profit,  which 
time  added  to  the  six  years  of  total 
loss  at  Wethersfield  makes  sixteen 
years  of  anxious,  uncompensated  toil 
in  establishing  the  cutlery  manufact- 
ure on  a  paying  basis. 

But  Yankee  ingenuity  and  persist- 
ency finally  prevailed,  and  in  1855, 
with  increased  capital  and  acquired 
experience,  the  incorporated  Meriden 
Cutlery  company  emerged  from     dis- 


couraging conditions  and,  having  sur- 
vived the  teething  period,  commenced 
a  prosperous  career,  which  with  some 
interruptions  has  continued  for  fifty 
years. 

The  business,  originating  in  the 
saops  of  Mr.  Ropes  in  1834  and  in 
the  Wethersfield  prison  in  1836,  be- 
coming merged  and  established  in 
Meriden  in  1845,  can  claim  priority 
as  the  pioneer  of  table  cutlery  man- 
ufacture  in   the   United   States. 

During  the  early  period  of  this  bus- 
iness the  trade  generally  demanded 
an  equal  number  of  knives  and  forks, 
the  forks  being  made  with  two  prongs. 
The  prevailing  habit,  at  the  time,  of 
conveying  food  to  the  mouth  with 
the  knife,  was  justified  so  long  as  two- 
tined   forks  only  could   be  had. 

Mr.  Ropes  assisted  in  bringing  in 
the  new  era  of  eating  with  forks,  by 
making  his  steel  forks  with  three  and 
finally  with  four  tines. 

Subsequently  the  invention  of  white 
metal  or  silver  plated  forks  supersed- 
ed the  use  of  steel,  and  revolutionized 
the  eating  habit  among  people  who 
sought  to  be  polite  and  conventional 
and  the  manufacture  of  steel  forks  has 
been  continued  only  for  those  belated 
and  undeveloped  inhabitants  who  can- 
not easily  change  their  habits  of  life, 
and  for  whose  benefit  some  ingenious 
Yankee  may  yet  invent  a  combination 
knife  and  shovel. 

ADVENT    OF    STEAM    POWER. 

The  steam  engine  invented  by 
James  Watt  and  brought  into  practi- 
cal use  by  him  in  1775  has  been  the 
foundation  of  most  of  the  great  mod- 
ern industries  of  the  world,  and  be- 
yond question  has  been  the  primary 
cause  of  prosperity  in  the  town  of 
Meriden. 

It  was  not  until  after  1850  that  the 
steam  engine,  by  devices  for  high 
pressure  and  compound  expansion 
had  become  so  perfected  that  it  could 
be  applied  advantageously  as  a  great 
motive  power  for  general  use. 

Those  of  us  whose  memories  reach 
back  to  1838  can  remember  when  the 
first  locomotive  peered  through  the 
narrow  cut  at  Holt's  Hill  and  rushed 
down  the  incline  to  the  Comers  (then 
a  suburb  of  Meriden)  at  a  speed  of 
twelve  miles  an  hour  over  wooden 
rails  topped  off  with  strap  iron.  Care- 
ful inquiry  has     established   the   fact 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


331 


that  a  little  prior  to  that  date  a 
small  stationary  steam  engine  was  op- 
erated in  the  tinning  factory  of  Re- 
mick  K.  Clark,  which  after  a  brief 
period  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Charles 
Parker  appears  to  have  introduced  the 
next  one  in  order  and  thereafter  to 
have  continued  to  operate  his  works 
by  steam  power.  This  machine,  the 
only  one  in  Meriden  in  1847,  was  the 
Avant  coureur  of  an  approaching  host 
which  would  soon  relegate  to  obscur- 
ity the  little  waterfalls  which  had  hith- 
erto feebly  turned  the  wheels  of  in- 
dustry and  by  their  might  and  illimita- 
ble forces,  converted  the  town  of  Mer- 
iden into  a  busy,  bustling  community 
whose  varied  products  of  art  and  util- 
ity would  be  distributed  throughout 
every   part  of  the   civilized  world. 

Your  able  historian.  Dr.  Davis,  by 
his  vast  research  and  patient  toil  has 
depicted  the  many  wonderful  indus- 
tries which  have  brought  wealth  and 
prosperity  to  this  enterprising  com- 
munity, and  I  shall  not  invade  the 
field  which  he  has  occupied  so  com- 
pletely. I  will  refer  briefly  to  some 
of  the  prominent  characters  which  I 
remember  as  initiating  and  propelling 
the  great  manufacturing  enterprises  of 
Meriden.  First  among  these,  I  think 
all  will  concede,  should  be  named 
Charles  Parker,  whose  quiet  but  irre- 
sistible career  continued  with  ever  ex- 
panding force  from  1832  until  after 
many  years  of  indomitable  work  he  be- 
came disabled  by  physical  infirmity 
and  even  then  for  a  long  time  con- 
tinued to  direct  the  enterprises  he  had 
created,  by  a  mind  unimpaired  in 
vigor  and  unexhausted  in  resources. 
In  view  of  the  magnitude,  variety, 
success,  and  long-continued  activity  in 
his  industrial  achievements  he  earned 
the  title  of  Patriarch  in  the  great 
family  of  Meriden  manufacturers. 

SILVER   PLATED    WARES. 

The  manufacture  of  silver  plated 
goods,  which  I  understand  has  been 
the  most  extensive  and  important  of 
all  in  Meriden,  I  remember  only  in  its 
incipient  stages  of  development.  My 
remembrance  of  the  men  who  were 
most  active  in  promoting  this  industry 
is  as  follows: 

About  the  close  of  the  first  half  of 
the  century,  three  broiners  who  had 
grown  to  manhood  on  a  New  England 


farm,  came  from  an  adjoining  town  to 
exercise  their  powers  in  the  broader 
arena  of  commercial  life  open  to  them 
in  Meriden. 

Self-reliance  and  perseverance  with 
the  Yankee  trading  instinct  constitut- 
ed their  only  capital.  They  chose  the 
vocation  of  commercial  travelers,  then 
called  peddlers.  The  oldest,  not  find- 
ing the  goods  that  suited  his  taste, 
commenced  taking  those  for  which 
there  was  at  the  time  a  demand,  and 
especially  such  as  were  adapted  to 
feminine  wants,  and  necessarily  sub- 
ject to  feminine  caprice  which  de- 
mands something  new  and  different 
from  time  to  time.  For  a  while  the 
goods  were  hoop  skirts  and  other  ar- 
ticles of  apparel,  and  finally  balmoral 
skirts.  The  business,  in  harmony  with 
the  skirts,  grew  to  large  proportions, 
and  then  after  the  novelty  had  ceased 
was  discontinued. 

The  other  two  of  the  Drothers,  at  a 
later  date,  directed  their  energy  to- 
ward marketing  the  pewter  goods, 
made  in  a  small  way  by  many  differ- 
ent artisans  throughout  the  town.  It 
was  about  this  time  that  a  great  im- 
provement was  made  in  England  by 
a  new  process  of  compound  pewter 
metal,  and  it  was  introduced  into  this 
country  under  the  name  of  britannia. 
The  art  of  electrotyping,  said  to  have 
been  invented  by  Rogers  Brothers  in 
1847,  soon  followed,  with  the  result  of 
producing  a  fair  imitation  of  silver  at 
one-fifth  the  cost  of  sterling  metal. 
The  great  opportunity  thus  created  for 
a  new  enterprise  was  seized  upon  by 
the  two  young  men,  who  saw  in  It  an 
avenue  opened  to  all  the  homes  of  a 
great  and  growing  population  of  our 
country,  for  a  new  trade  of  bound- 
less possibilities.  History  teaches  us 
that  in  all  great  crisis  and  emergen- 
cies of  human  experiences,  there  are 
men  who  always  rise  to  the  front  pre- 
pared and  equipped  to  grapple  with 
the  new  problems  that  confront  their 
times.  The  great  occasion  had  arrived 
for  Meriden  to  awake  from  its  com- 
paratively quiet  life  and  enter  upon 
an  era  of  immense  activity  In  the  pro- 
duction of  an  infinite  variety  of 
wares  for  which  millions  of  consum- 
ers were  already  waiting,  and  the  men 


332 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


who  initiated  and  organized  the 
forces  for  such  achievement  were  Hor- 
ace C.  and  Dennis  C.  Wilcox,  the 
farmer  boys  from  Westfield. 

I  knew  them  when  they  began  their 
career.  My  audience  knows  their  sub- 
sequent history  better  than  I,  and  I 
only  bear  testimony  to  their  influence 
as  the  most  prominent  among  the 
founders  of  the  Meriden  silver  plate 
industry. 

NEW    ERA    OF    EXPANSION. 

Having  traced  the  history  of  the  in- 
cipient industries  of  Meriden,  by  a 
memory,  not  infallible,  from  the  days 
of  my  childhood  to  the  time  when,  at 
the  middle  of  the  last  century  they  be- 
gan to  assume  a  national  significance 
and  were  imensely  stimulated  by  the 
new  facilities  afforded  by  steam  pow- 
er, railroads,  telegraph,  cheap  postage, 
and  later  by  the  enormous  increase  of 
our  commerce  and  our  rapidly  growing 
population,  I  leave  the  subject  at  the 
close  of  the  first  half  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, from  which  time  you  are  better 
informed  that  I,  of  wondrous  achieve- 
ments, and  fortunes  made  and  some 
times  lost,  and  of  small  industries  ex- 
panded into  corporations  with  mil- 
lions of  capital,  most  of  which  can 
now  be  found  recorded  on  the  page  of 
written  history. 

THE     ADVERSE     SIDE. 

The  development  of  these  infant  in- 
dustries during  the  germinating  period 
was  not  exempt  from  some  adverse  in- 
fluences, the  most  remarkable  of  which 
may  properly  be  included  as  one  chap- 
ter in  their  hostory.  There  was  an 
era  of  "Frenzied  Finance"  covering  a 
decade  or  more  of  the  period  embraced 
by  my  subject,  which,  in  my  memory, 
seems  like  a  diabolical  romance. 

The  wizard  who  manipulated  its 
mysterious  movements  appeared  first 
as  a  meek  and  pious  boy,  and  begin- 
ning a  clerk  gained  the  confidence  of 
his  employer,  who,  incidental  to  his 
mercantile  business,  acted  as  an  in- 
surance agent.  At  his  death,  the  clerk 
became  his  successor  in  that  vocation, 
and  his  first  move  was  to  effect  an  ex- 
tra hazardous  life  insurance  for  his 
own  benefit,  from  which  by  the  sudden, 
although  expected  death  of  the  in- 
sured, the  alert  young  adventurer  real- 


ized $3,000.  With  this,  as  his  incip- 
ient capital  he  began  his  career.  The 
term  hustler  as  now  understood  docs 
not  begin  to  describe  the  impetuosity 
with  which  he  pursued  his  new  voca- 
tion. 

Those  who  have  read  Dickens'  de- 
scription of  Pancks,  the  collector  of 
rents  in  Bleeding  Heart  yard,  may  find 
a  parallel  character  in  the  manner  and 
method  of  the  subject  of  this  history. 

He  was  like  a  tug  having  in  tow  a 
larger  craft,  for  he  always  contrived 
to  hook  his  arm  into  that  of  his  victim 
and  tow  him  away  to  his  fate.  Even 
the  snort  of  his  mighty  nose  which  he 
blew  off  like  steam  from  the  tug  boat's 
engine  was  literally  true  to  life, 
Panck's  motto  was  his  motto,  "Rattle 
me  out  of  bed  early,  set  me  going,  give 
me  as  short  a  time  as  you  like  to  bolt 
my  meals  in,  and  keep  me  at  it.  Keep 
me  always  at  it,  I'll  keep  you  always 
at  it,  you  keep  somebody  else  always 
at  it.  There  you  are,  with  the  Whole 
Duty  of  Man  in  a  commercial  coun- 
try." 

By  acquiring  agencies  from  all  the 
principal  Fire  and  Life  Insurance 
companies,  he  skillfully  played  one 
against  another  on  his  chess-board  un- 
til from  very  fear  of  his  power  to  in- 
jure them,  they  acceded  to  his  pre- 
posterous demands  for  special  privil- 
eges and  allowances. 

His  bailiwick  included  not  only  Mer- 
iden but  all  the  state  and  the  amount 
of  insurance  he  undertook  was  equal 
to  that  of  some  of  the  respective  com- 
panies he  represented. 

With  a  pair  of  fast  horses  he  would 
arrive  at  some  mercantile  or  manufac- 
turing establishment  and  rushing  in 
would  befog  the  proprietor  with  his 
hypnotic  eye  and  verbal  persuasiveut^.ss 
which  were  irresistible,  and  before  his 
victim  could  recover  consciousness,  he 
would  have  insured  everything  in 
sight,  including  the  life  of  the  propri- 
etor and  with  the  papers  in  his  pocket 
would  soon  be  far  away,  practicing  his 
art  on  another  helpless  subject. 

In  one  instance,  after  insuring  a  large 
factory,  machinery,  office  furniture,  book 
accounts  and  bills  receivable,  he  no- 
ticed_  tlirough  the  window  a  huge  pile 
of  pig  iron  outside,  and  by  consent  of 
the  owner  added  that  to  the  list.  After 
his  departure,  when  the  proprietor  had 
recovered  from  the  mesmeric  trance,  his 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


333 


reason  reverted  to  the  fact  that  pig 
iron  would  not  burn,  and  he  soliloquized 
for  a  while,  taking  as  his  subject  of 
thought  that  he  was  a  dumb  fool.  The 
fleetest  horses  of  the  day  were  not  fast 
enough  for  this  adventurer  and  with 
prophetic  vision  fifty  years  in  advance  of 
the  automobile,  he  had  constructed  a 
steam  road  carriage,  the  wreck  of  which 
on  Berlin  Hill  was  a  favorite  show  for 
the  boys  of  the  period.  The  Sundays  of 
this  strange  character  were  not  days  of 
rest,  but  of  a  more  intense  act'vity.  In 
time  of  a  religious  revival  I  have  known 
him  to  attend  seven  services  in  a  day, 
5  o'clock  prayer  meeting,  9  o'clock 
prayer  meeting,  morning  preaching, 
noon  Sunday  school,  afternoon  preach- 
ing. Young  People's  early  prayer  meet- 
ing, and  evening  church  conference 
meeting.  In  these  he  was  conspicuous 
and  active  in  exhortation  and  prayer. 

Religion  was  a  large  part  of  his  work- 
ing capital,  and  he  was  the  most  lib- 
eral contributor  in  the  church. 

Then  commenced  his  career  as  a  bank- 
er. Inexperienced  women  deluded  by 
his  pious  pretensions,  brought  their  sav- 
ings for  him  to  invest,  and  avaricious 
men  of  large  means  were  enticed  by  his 
promises  of  excessive  gain  to  jeopardize 
their  fortunes  by  lending  him  their  nnn- 
ey  or  endorsement. 

A  considerable  part  of  his  capital  con- 
sisted of  his  own  checks  on  banks  in 
Hartford,  Waterbury,  New  Haven  and 
New  York,  where  he  had  only  small  or 
no  deposits,  and  with  fast  horses  he 
would  in  a  single  day  make  his  round  of 
eighty  miles,  retiring  his  checks  at  one 
bank  by  depositing  his  checks  on  an- 
other at  disastrous  rate  of  exchange.  It 
was  said  that  in  this  way  he  kept  ulioat 
$75,000. 

He  established  a  bank  in  the  remotest 
southeast  corner  of  New  Jersey  at  a 
point  inaccessible  by  railroad,  and  at 
times,  by  the  invasion  of  water — unap- 
proachable. From  this  secluded  den 
he  theoretically  issued  notes  of  the  bank 
and  put  them  in  circulation  in  Connec- 
ticut to  a  large  amount  after  making  the 
redemption  of  them  impracticable. 

But  all  things  mundane  have  an  end 
and  so  it  happened  one  day  that  there 
was  seen  in  Meriden  a  long  procession 
of  mourners  at  the  funeral  of  their  dis- 
appointed hopes-  The  elusive  conjurer 
was  unmasked  and  revealed  to  some  the 
character  of  a  pschycological  freak  and 
to  others  an  atrocious  hypocrite.       His 


career  in  Meriden  ended  in  or  about 
the  year  1855,  and  continuel  in  a  Chi- 
cago jail,  then  in  a  small  tenement 
house  in  the  negro  quarter  of  Camden, 
N.  J.,  where  he  conducted  a  Sunday 
school,  and  ended  in  North  Carolina  as 
a  preacher.  The  slimy  trail  of  his  tor- 
tuous course  left  its  mark  on  Meriden 
life  for  many  years. 

His  name  need  not  be  mentioned. 
It  is  probably  known  to  most  of  you 
and  if  not,  it  is  better  to  blot  it  from 
the  historic  page. 

But  while  Meriden  has  been  af- 
flicted witn  one  blighting  humau 
curse,  it  has  in  felicitous  contrast 
had  its  public  benefactors.  Of  tbese, 
my  audience  know  more  than  I  can 
tell  them,  but  there  are  two,  at  least, 
easily  discoverable  by  only  casual 
visitors,  that  cannot  be  too  often 
brought    into    grateful    remembrance. 

The  pessimists  of  the  day  tell  us 
that  the  world  is  growing  worse.  It 
is  true  that  religious  dogmas  and 
creeds  are  less  respected  now  than 
formerly,  but  it  is  also  true  that  a 
vital  Christianity  which  expresses  it- 
self in  ministries  of  kindness  and 
love  toward  the  unfortunate,  such  as 
the  Master  taught  and  practiced,  is 
far  more  prevalent  than  ever  before 
in  the  history  of  the  world  and  in  ev- 
ery community  in  our  country  men 
and  women  are  found  to  relieve  hu- 
man want. 

To  my  mind  no  grander  example  of 
practical  Christianity  has  been  wit- 
nessed in  human  history  than  the  re- 
cent uprising  of  a  nation  of  80,000,- 
000  people  to  bestow  their  beneficent 
gifts  upon  the  homeless  inhabitants 
of  a  destroyed  city;  gifts  so  munifi- 
cent that  more  than  one  hundred  dol- 
lars each  could  be  distributed  to 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  a 
population    of    250,000. 

The  wealth  acquired  by  honest  and 
sometimes  dishonest  industry  fiows 
back  in  a  stream  of  beneficence  to 
suffering  humanity  when  its  possess- 
or realizes  his  obligations  to  use  his 
wealth  as  a  trust  for  the  benefit  of 
others,  and  such  beneficence  appears 
in  Meriden  in  the  form  of  the  Curtis 
home. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  sometimes 
that  the  commercial  spirit  has  dom- 
inated too  much  the  Meriden  life  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  higher  motives 
that  should   adorn   human  character. 


334 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


If  that  has  ever  been  true,  we  now 
find  a  memorable  exception  in  that 
noble  and  beautiful  adornment  of  the 
town,  where  all  its  inhabitants  may 
seek  innocent  pleasure  and  recreat- 
ion, where  communion  with  nature 
invites  the  soul  to  shake  off  the  dress 
of  toil  and  rise  to  the  restful  plane 
of  higher  thought;  where  the  land- 
scaping art  has  left  its  most  beauti- 
ful impress,  because  the  hills  and 
valleys,  the  rocks  and  forest  all  com- 
bine to  accentuate  the  work  of  the 
landscape  engineer-  Fortunate  in- 
deed is  the  community  with  such  an 
environment  capable  of  such  wonder- 
ful beauty,  and  more  fortunate  that 
a  man  has  arisen  here,  inspired  by 
the  beneficent  impulse  to  confer  upon 
the  people  of  Meriden  so  noble  a  gift 
as  Hubbard  park.  The  oft  recurring 
verdure  of  that  rural  retreat,  in  the 
ages  to  come,  will  keep  green  the 
memory  of  its  founder  and  constitute 
for  him  a  monument  mort  enduring 
than  bronze. 


BY  REV.  SAMUEL  HART,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Samuel  Hart,  D.D.,  D.C.L.,  vice- 
dean  of  the  Berkeley  Divinity  school 
of  Middletown  and  president  of  the 
Connecticut  Historical  society,  made 
the  following  interesting  address: 

"Hesterni  sumus,"  "We  are  but  of 
yesterday,"  wrote  a  Christian  of  the 
early  days,  addressing  tne  emperor  in 
defense  of  his  faith  and  practice. 
"Yet,"  he  added,  "we  have  filled  every 
place  of  yours,  cities  and  castles,  is- 
lands and  camps,  the  senate  and  the 
forum."  Your  town,  Mr.  President, 
seems  but  of  yesterday,  as  we  come 
from  towns  which  celebrated  their 
quarter-millenial  twenty  or  ten  years 
ago,  constituent  parts  of  the  ancient 
republics  which  have  been  for  much 
more  than  two  centuries  united  in 
the  one  colony  and  stare  of  Connecti- 
cut. We  know  then  when,  a  hundred 
years  ago,  Meriden  was  incorporated 
as  a  town,  it  was  by  no  means  a  new 
settlement,  and  we  do  not  forget  that 
it  had  at  that  time  an  interesting  and 
not  unimportant  history;  but  we  can 
hardly  come  from  Wethersfield  and 
Windsor  and  Hartford,  from  Saybrook 
and  New  London,  from  New  Haven 
and  Guilford,  to  keep  your  Centennial 


without  a  slight  feeling  of  pride  Lnat 
our  several  centennials  are  matters  of 
very  ancient  history,  before  the  Revo- 
lution and  even  before  the  great 
awakening.  But  though  in  years  you 
are  not  of  our  generation,  and  we 
must  reckon  you  as  in  some  way  de- 
scendants by  more  than  one  degree 
removed  from  our  origin,  we  confess 
to-day  as  we  have  conressed  often  be- 
fore, though  we  may  not  have  told 
3'ou  of  it,  that  the  fame  of  your  life 
and  prosperity^has  filled  every  place 
of  ours,  and  that  some  places  perhaps 
which  know  us  best  as  historical  mon- 
uments of  quiet  homes,  are  constant- 
ly reminded  of  your  nusy  activities 
and  of  the  usefulness  of  the  works  of 
your  hands.  Certainly  you  -have 
proved  your  right  to  be  accounted 
men  of  the  present;  certainly  you  may 
make  a  strong  claim  to  a  place  among 
the  men  of  the  future. 

But  we,  who  as  your  guests,  repre- 
sent historical  societies,  may  leave  the 
present  to  tell  its  own  story,  as  It  does 
in  this  most  successful  and  enthusi- 
astic commemoration,  and  have  con- 
fidence enough  in  you  to  know  that 
you  will  hold  in  the  future  the  posi- 
tion which  you  have  secured.  We 
must  look  backward  to  the  past,  and 
read  the  annals  which  for  the  town  of 
Meriden  are  prehistoric,  and  show  the 
place  which  was  destined  for  the 
town,  and  the  way  in  which  the  town 
took  its  place  and  grew  up  into  it  and 
in  it.  For,  as  your  historian  has  re- 
minded you  or  will  remind  you,  the 
lot  of  your  ancestors  here  was  laid  in 
a  border  land,  and  the  romance  of 
border  controversy,  such  as  it  is,  is 
not  lacking  here.  Along  the  Great 
River  to  the  east  there  was  from  the 
early  days  a  succession  of  towns  of 
generous  size,  each  spanning  the 
stream,  the  space  between  the  town 
of  the  ancient  fortification  at  the 
river's  mouth  and  the  three  towns  of 
early  settlement  above  being  filled  in 
by  Haddam  and  Middletown.  To  the 
east  the  Thames  and  its  confluents  in 
like  manner  determlnea  the  site  of 
New  London  and  Norwich.  All  these 
towns  belonged  to  the  ancient  govern- 
ment of  Connecticut;  and  It  also  sent 
lorth    settlements    which    held    in    its 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


335 


name  Stratford  and  Fairfield  and 
Norwalk,  bordering  on  the  Sound.  The 
other  government  of  New  Haven,  Its 
chief  town  in  like  manner  to  the  oth- 
•ers  also  spanning  a  river,  had  two 
lesser  settlements  on  practically  a  po- 
litical equality,  Guilford  and  Stam- 
ford, and  two  others  in  not  quite  the 
same  position,  Branford  and  Milford, 
not  to  mention  Southold  on  Long  Is- 
land. Also  at  an  early  date,  the  up 
river  towns  had  pushed  westward  and 
occupied,  or  at  least  taken  possession 


REV.   SAMUEL  HART,   D.   D. 

of  the  great  tract  of  Farmington.  The 
spot  on  which  we  now  stand,  the -site 
of  busy  manufactories  and  prosperous 
marts  of  trade  and  pieasant  homes, 
lay  between  this  town  of  farmers  and 
the  borderland  of  the  district  into 
which  New  Haven  had  pushed  to- 
ward the  north.  It  was  a  real  border- 
land in  the  days  of  the  two  separate 
colonies,  it  did  not  lose  all  the  pecu- 
liarities of  a  border-land  till  long  af- 
ter the  charter  of  Charles  II.  had  been 
granted  and  New  Haven  had  found 
herself  merged  in  the  colony  of  Con- 
necticut. 


It  is  well  worth  our  while,  there- 
fore, to  look  back  to  those  earliest 
days,  and  thus  learn  the  frame,  as  we 
may  call  it,  of  the  later  history  which 
has  a  special  interest  for  us  here  and 
now.  The  settlers  of  the  river  towns, 
Wethersfield,  Windsor  and  Hartford, 
had  come  as  a  colony  from  Massachu- 
setts Bay,  bringing  with  them  a  con- 
stituted civil  authority,  one  colony 
from  the  first  though  they  settled  in 
three  communities  Their  leaders 
were  men  of  strong  character  and  of 
strong  will  under  the  restraint  of 
sound  judgment.  They  founded  a 
commonwealth  intended  to  be  puri- 
tanically religious  on  its  religious 
side,  but  in  which  citizenship  was  not 
dependent  on  church  membership  and 
laws  had  their  binding  force  from  the 
will  of  those  who  were  to  be  governed 
by  them.  It  was  a  settlement  made  by 
practical  men  under  the  guidance  of 
a  practical  teacher  and  a  practical 
lawyer,  Thomas  Hooker  and  Roger 
Ludlow.  An  offshoot  from  this  colo- 
ny, as  I  was  just  saying,  lay  to  the 
north  and  east  of  the  site  of  your 
town,  and  it  claimed  jurisdiction  over 
at  least  a  part  of  your  present  terri- 
tory. 

The  other  company  of  colonists 
which  took  up  their  home  at  the  fair 
haven — or  the  New  Haven — at  the 
mouth  of  the  Quinnipiack,  had  come 
from  England  by  way  of  Boston.  They 
were  independents,  and  not  strictly 
puritans,  as  were  also  the  settlers  of 
Plymouth,  and  there  was  among  them 
a  strange  combination  of  a  spirit  of 
ecclesiasticism  and  a  spirit  of  com- 
mercial adventure;  they  were  led  by 
the  theologian,  John  Davenport,  and 
one  wealthy  merchant,  Theophilus 
Eaton;  and  they  expected  to  found  a 
theocracy  in  which  the  saints  should 
bear  rule,  and  at  the  same  time  they 
hoped  to  increase  the  worldly  pros- 
perity of  which  some  of  their  num- 
ber had  already  a  goodly  share.  Speak- 
ing generally  we  may  say  that  the  re- 
ligious and  civil  history  of  the  grow- 
ing commonwealth  was  largely  mould- 
ed by  the  founders  of  the  River  colo- 
ny, while  we  look  to  New  Haven  for 
the  strong  intellectual  influences  and 
for  the  sources  of  material  prosperity 


336 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


fostered  by  invention  and  secured  by 
trade.  This  last  named  colony  had  a 
claim  based  on  purchase  from  the  In- 
dians, to  a  parcel  of  land  extending 
about  a  mile  north  of  your  railroad 
station. 

It  was  the  citizens  of  Hartford  and 
its  neighbor  towns  who  met  in  a 
General  Assembly  early  in  1639  and, 
adopting  the  first  written  constitu- 
tion in  history,  "associated  and  con- 
joined themselves  to  be  one  public 
state  or  commonwealth."  They  made 
no  recognition  of  king  or  parliament 
or  of  any  devolved  authority,  but  es- 
tablished the  example  and  pattern  of 
all  the  democracies  in  this  land  or 
elsewhere,  and  also  of  all  the  true 
federal  government.  The  germ  of  the 
nation  was  in  that  assembly;  but  as 
its  immediate  consequence  then 
sprang  into  existence  an  absolutely 
independent  state.  When  soon  after 
the  restoration  of  the  monarchy  in 
England,  a  charter  was  asked  and 
granted,  it  was  not  asked  or  granted 
for  the  bestowal  of  rights  or  the  crea- 
tion of  obligations;  on  the  contrary,  it 
contained  a  clear  acknowledgment  of 
the  existing  condition  of  things,  and 
under  it  Connecticut  made  and  exe- 
cuted her  own  laws,  quietly  and  sob- 
erly, but  consistently  and  efficiently, 
with  "diplomatic  skill,  forethought 
and  self  control." 

This  charter  granted  in  1662,  ex- 
tended the  boundaries  of  the  colony 
of  Connecticut  so  that  it  included  all 
the  territory  of  New  Haven,  not  with 
New  Haven's  consent,  but  with  its 
acquiescence  when  it  was  seen  that 
the  union  was  a  political  and  practi- 
cal necessity;  and  it  was  soon  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  decided  advantage 
to  both  the  colonies  which  it  merged 
into  one.  At  first  the  most  ready 
communication  in  and  between  the  two 
colonies,  as  also  between  our  colonies 
and  those  of  Massachuestts,  was  by 
water,  at  least  while  the  rivers  were 
free  from  ice.  But  presently  roads 
were  needed,  as  from  Hartford  to 
Farmington;  and  it  must  have  been  at 
an  early  day  that  a  road  was  laid  out 
between  Hartford  and  New  Haven, 
running  in  a  course  as  nearly  straight 
as  the  nature  of  the  land  would  al- 
low, and   probably   following  in  large 


part  an  Indian  trail.       In  this  neigh- 
borhood its  route  lay  along  a  conven- 
ient valley;  it  is  the  Colony  street  of 
your    city    and    Wallingford.        Along, 
it  there  came  from  the  south,  in  1660,. 
the  representatives  of  New  Haven  with 
the  Indian  Montowese  to  place  marks 
at  the  boundary  of  its  lands;    and  in 
the  next  year  Connecticut,  having  pro- 
tested against  the  stretching  of  claims 
into  her  jurisdiction,  made  a  grant  of 
land    which    extended    as    far    as    the 
disputed  boundary.       The  story  of  all 
this    will      be    told      you,    as    it    de- 
serves, in  more  detail;  I  but  wish  to  re- 
mind you  that,  as     I  was  saying,     you 
live  on  what  was  once  the  border  land 
between    colonies   which   were   not   al- 
ways in  full  agreement,  and  that  each 
of  them  reached  out  its  hands  to  your 
Pilgrims'   Harbor.       We   do   not   read 
of  any  strife  or  bloodshed  here,  but  ia 
the  account  of  Connecticut's  grant  we 
read  of  the  requirement  that  "a  stone 
house  or  fort  with  port  holes"  should 
be    built,    accompanied    by    permission 
to  keep  a  tavern  there  forever.      This- 
would   be   the   half-way   house   of   the 
long  road,  and  it  may  well  be  that  the 
same  structure  served  for  the  purpose 
of  warfare  and  for  those  of  entertain- 
ment.      The  farm   on   which  the  fort 
and  inn  stood  was  called  the  Gilbert 
farm,  from  the  name     of  the  grantee, 
Jonathan    Gilbert;    but    its   ownership^ 
passed  to  Andrew  Belcher,  his  son-in- 
law,  a  member  of  the  provincial  coun- 
cil   of    Massachuestts    and    a    man    of 
large  estate  for  those  times;  from  him 
it  passed  to  his  son  Jonathan,  who  was 
for  eleven  years  governor  of  Massachu- 
setts  and   New   Hampshire,   and   later 
governor  of  New  Jersey.      As  early  as 
1664   it   was   called   Meriden   Farm   or 
Meriden  Manor,  the  significance  of  the 
nanle  in  our     modern     speech     being" 
Pleasant  Valley;    in  1725  Meriden   be- 
came the  name  of  the  parish  and   in 
1768  that  of  the  town. 

Your  controversies  did  not  end,  per- 
haps, the  need  of  a  fort  for  possibly 
warring  combatants  did  not  end,  al- 
most certainly  there  was  still  a  call 
for  a  place  of  entertainment  and  for 
peaceful  negotiations,  when  the  union 
of  the  colonies  had  brought  the  juris- 
diction of  Connecticut  and  that  of  New 
Haven  under  one  chartered  govern- 
ment.      It  is  a  curiously  mixed  story, 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


337 


how  the  northern  part  of  your 
present  town  was  adjudged  to 
belong  to  Hartford  county,  and  how 
the  title  of  the  land  was  secured  by  the 
town  of  Wallingford,  in  New  Haven 
county;  as  if  this  did  not  introduce 
confusion  enough,  how  the  general  as- 
sembly, fearing  that  a  claim  might  be 
made  by  a  royal  governor  for  all  un- 
granted  lands,  assigned  this  selfsame 
tract  to  Middletown  and  Farmington 
and  Wethersfleld,  as  a  place  "to  plant 
a  village  in."  Of  course  disputes 
broke  out,  and  of  course  it  was  not  an 
easy  thing  to  settle  the  rival  claims, 
and  of  course  the  strong  arm  of  the 
legislature  was  involved  to  render  a 
decision;  and  thus  it  came  about  that 
the  parish  of  Meriden  was  established 
as  a  part  of  the  town  of  Wallingford, 
and  that  the  town  of  Meriden  was  cre- 
ated by  a  division  of  that  ancient  mu- 
nicipality. 

The  strife,  which  must  have  been 
somewhat  bitter  in  its  day,  involving 
personal  rights  as  well  as  questions  of 
jurisdiction,  was,  I  am  told,  forgotten 
long  ago;  if  we  recall  it,  it  is  but  as 
an  interesting  episode  of  history; 
which  shows  how  our  forefathers  were 
trained  in  the  principles  of  justice  and 
self-restraint  and  patience;  it  is  the  in- 
ternal border-land  story  of  our  state. 

And  it  has  a  special  interest  as  mak- 
ing this  town,  which  carried  on  the 
life  of  an  older  parish  or  district,  or 
"school  society" — to  use  a  term  which 
some  will  recall — a  distinct  type  with- 
in the  limits  of  Connecticut.  The 
philosophical  historian  of  a  coming 
age  may  trace  its  influence  here  or 
elsewhere;  we  have  not  yet  the  skill 
or  the  time  for  that.  But  it  will  not 
be  amis  to  remember  that  as  Hart- 
ford is  the  type  of  civic  community, 
with  a  natural  and  practical  element 
in  its  growth,  as  New  Haven  is  the 
type  of  a  more  formal  establishment 
with  its  very  ground  plot  suggesting 
a  well  formed  theory  from  the  first, 
as  Saybrook  was  our  fort  of  defense 
incidentally  providing  homes  for  a  few 
"persons  of  quality;"  as  New  London, 
looking  out  from  its  harbor  to  the 
ocean,  had  promise  of  commerce  and 
the  prosperity  which  comes  from  the 
sea,  so  Meriden  affords  the  type,  or 
rather  the  unique  example  within  our 
borders,  of  a  manor  united  with  and 
finally    merging    into    an    agricultural 

22 


community.  I  am  afraid  that  the 
manor  was  such  in  design  and  name 
rather  than  in  the  full  sense  of  the 
word;  but  the  Meriden  manor  of  the 
Belchers  suggests  a  dignity  of  plan 
which  we  are  glad  to  place  by  the  side 
of  the  dignity  which  was  in  Che 
thoughts  of  settlers  in  other  parts  of 
the  colon.  It  was  everywhere 
the  dignity  of  a  serious  purpose, 
the  dignity  of  intention  working 
itself  out  in  life,  the  dignity- - 
as  the  very  word  imports — of  wor- 
thiness. And  the  results  of  it,  as  it 
appeared  in  divers  ways  in  the 
thoughts  and  actions  of  our  founders, 
have  been  seen  in  the  "steady  habits," 
or  as  the  Romans  would  have  called 
it,  the  gravitas  of  their  descendants. 

The  purpose  of  such  a  commemora- 
tion as  this,  Mr.  President,  as  I  hardly 
need  to  say,  is  not  fulfilled  if  the  cele- 
bration itself,  with  its  varied  observ- 
ance of  pagentry  and  enthusiasm,  with 
its  proof  to  the  eye  of  what  "you  have 
already  accomplished  and  what  you 
feel  ready  to  undertake  with  the  con- 
fidence of  success.  Its  chief  purpose 
is,  so  to  recall  the  past  and  to  mani- 
fest the  present  that  the  way  may  be 
prepared  for  doing  well  that  which  is 
still  in  the  future.  The  raanonil  lord  of 
the  early  days — we  may  at  least  allow 
ourselves  the  use  of  the  title — and  the 
farmers  who  tilled  the  land  in  the  dig- 
nity of  ownership,  could  not  have  pos- 
sibly foreseen  that  the  Meriden  of  the 
future  would  derive  enough  of  its 
prosperity  from  non-resident  proprie- 
tors and  comparatively  little  from  the 
labors  of  the  husbandman;  but  they 
made  possible  the  great  prosperity  of 
this  day,  which  springs  from  invention 
and  the  skillful  use  of  the  mechanical 
arts.  Those  who  assembled  in  the 
first  town  meeting  a  hundred  years 
ago,  so  well  reproduced  before  your 
eyes  this  morning,  did  not  dream  of 
the  city  of  1906,  with  busy  factories 
and  crowded  streets,  in  the  valley  from 
which  those  who  passed  on  the  colony 
road  must  look  up  to  see  the  churches 
and  the  homes  of  the  village  on  the  hill 
crest;  but  they  left  to  the  men  of  this 
day,  more  than  an  example;  they  left 
a  life,  to  "consecrate  our  origin,"  to 
see  what  the  foundations  laid  a  cen- 
tury, two  centuries,  more  than  two 
centuries  ago,  are  able  to  bear,  and 
to  remember  that  the  character  of  the 


338 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


men  of  to-day  and  the  kind  of  work 
that  they  do  with  their  brains  and 
their  hands,  will  largely  decide  the 
prosperity  and  the  usefulness  and  the 
happiness  of  those  who  shall  live  and 
work  here  in  generations  to  come. 

Certainly  the  week  will  not  fail  to 
impress  on  you  the  Importance  of  his- 
tory, the  careful  recording  and  treas- 
uring of  all  that  shall  make  the  annals 
of  the  town  intelligible  and  interesting 
to  the  men  and  women  and  children  of 
later  days.  Every  such  commemmo- 
ration  ought  to  be,  and  is,  in  its  way, 
the  organization  of  an  historical  so- 
ciety of  large  and  active  membership. 
If  now  you  have  recalled  and  record- 
ed and  commemorated  the  events  of 
the  most  important  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  your  town,  see  to  it  that  you 
leave  records,  with  a  true  interpreta- 
tion of  them,  and  an  intelligent  en- 
thusiasm for  them,  which  shall  be  of 
service  for  more  than  a  century  to 
come. 


BY   PROF.   DAVID   N.   CAMP. 

Professor  David  N.  Camp,  of  New 
Britain,  years  ago  a  citizen  of  Meriden, 
gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  town 
as  he  remembered  it  in  youth.  He  spoke 
as  follows : 

It  was  about  seventy  years  ago  that 
I  first  came  to  Meriden,  passing  through 
it  on  business  to  a  neighTjoring  village. 
It  was  then  a  country  town  of  less  than 
i,8oo  inhabitants,  a  majority  of  whom 
were    engaged    in    agricultural    pursuits. 

Entering  the  town  near  the  southeast 
corner,  and  passing  through  it  diagon- 
ally to  the  northwest,  I  was  impressed 
by  the  number  of  corners  to  be  turned, 
and  the  similarity  of  the  houses  on 
the  route.  There  was  no  indication  of 
poverty,  but  on  the  contrary,  the  neat- 
ness of  the  homesteads,  and  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  farms,  were  evidences 
of    a    thrifty,    prosperous    community. 

There  was  no  railroad  in  the  state, 
and  the  country  roads  were  by  no 
means  such  as  are  now  found  in  every 
enterprising  place.  There  were  a  few 
small  factories  in  the  town,  the  princi- 
pal being  the  tin  shops,  the  ivory  comb 
factories  and  several  shops  where  cof- 
fee mills,  small  tools  and  some  arti- 
cles of  hardware  and  britannia  ware 
were  made. 

When,   in    1840,    I   became  a   resident 


of  Meriden  for  a  few  months,  I  was 
impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  place, 
and  its  advantageous  situation.  Locat- 
ed midway  between  the  two  capitols  of 
the  state,  and  nearly  equally  distant 
from  the  east  and  west  boundaries,  its 
position  seemed  favorable  for  business, 
or  the  interchange  of  social  courtesies. 

The  New  Haven  and  Hartford  rail- 
road had  been  opened  the  previous 
year,  and  Meriden  was  already  begin- 
ning to  feel  the  influence  of  increased 
facilities  for  traffic  and  communication 
with  the  business  world.  The  local  ac- 
commodation for  passengers  was  in  a 
room  on  the  west  side  of  the  tracks 
near  Main  street  and  provision  for 
freight  was  made  in  a  shed  on  the 
opposite  side.  Two  trains  a  day, 
each  consisting  of  a  small  pas- 
senger or  combination  car,  accommodat- 
ed the  travel,  and  a  freight  car,  some- 
times attached  to  the  passenger  train 
provided  for  the  freight  to  be  trans- 
ported. The  bank,  the  town  clerk's  of- 
fice, post  office  and  principal  stores  were 
near  the  tavern  on  the  turnpike,  on 
Broad  street. 

The  beauty  of  Meriden,  its  diversified 
scenery,  the  mountains  on  the  north  and 
west,  its  broad  valley  with  meandering 
streams,  and  its  varied  landscape,  had 
already  attracted  the  attention  of  ar- 
tists and  lovers  of  the  beautiful. 

Our  own  country  and  other  lands 
have  recently  been  startled,  if  not  af- 
frighted, by  the  effects  of  the  unseen 
natural  forces  which  produced  the  erup- 
tion of  Mt.  Vesuvius,  and  the  diastrous 
earthquake  of  the  Pacific  coast;  but  in 
the  eons  of  geological  time,  far  greater 
volcanic  action,  and  far  more  extensive 
upheavals  of  the  earth,  occurred  in  this 
vicinity,  to  prepare  a  place  for  the  lo- 
cation of  Meriden,  and  give  it  the  va- 
riety of  landscape  and  natural  beauty 
which  have  made  it  so  attractive. 

My  residence  of  a  few  months  in  the 
town  in  1840,  so  impressed  me  with 
the  advantages  of  its  location  that, 
when  a  few  months  later,  I  saw  in  a 
New  Haven  paper,  an  advertisement  of 
a  farm  for  sale  in  Meriden,  I  persuaded 
my  father,  who  was  a  farmer  in  anoth- 
er county,  to  go  and  look  at  it.  The 
result  was  we  soon  made  Meriden  our 
home. 

The  municipal  business  of  the  town 
was  then  transacted  on  the  turnpike,  or 
Market,  or  Broad  street,  and  the  bank, 
post    ofiice    and    churches    were    in    the 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


339 


same  locality.  The  other  principal 
thoroughfares,  then  termed  highways, 
were  the  Old  Road,  afterwards  named 
Colony  street,  and  Main,  Liberty,  Wall, 
Curtis  and  Hanover  roads,  and  the  old 
roads  leading  to  the  neighboring  towns. 
Such  important  streets  as  Center,  Pratt, 
Camp,  State,  Hanover  and  Cook  and 
Lewis  avenues,  had  not  been  opened  and 
probably  not  projected.  There  were  no 
paved  streets  or  sidewalks,  and  at  some 
seasons  of  the  year,  the  highways  were 
nearly  impassable. 

The  railroad  was  at  first  constructed 
with  flat   rails,  and  had   steeper  grades 


1 '  \\  ID  N.  CAMP. 

and  sharper  curves  than  at  present.  As 
a  consequence,  its  trains  were  subject 
to  delays  from  the  failure  of  the  mo- 
tive power  to  overcome  the  obstacles, 
especially  in  the  autumn,  when  the  rails 
were  frosty,  and  the  novel  sight  was 
presented  of  a  passenger  train  coming 
into  town  drawn  by  an  ox  team. 

The  public  schools  were  in  a  dozen 
different  districts,  each  in  a  one-room 
schoolhouse,  in  which  the  pupils  of  all 
school  ages  were  taught,  usually  by  a 
young  woman,  a  few  months  in  sum- 
mer, and  by  a  man,  or  woman,  a  few 
months  in  winter.       In  1838  there  were 


in  the  town,  440  children  of  school  age 
nearly  eighty  per  cent  .of  whom  were 
in  the  public  schools.  The  schools  were 
open  eighteen  weeks  in  winter  and 
nearly  as  long  in  summer.  The  average 
wages  of  the  men  who  taught  were 
seventeen  dollars  and  sixty-six  cents  a 
month,  and  of  the  young  women  ten 
dollars  a  month.  These  wages  seem 
small,  but  they  were  the  highest  paid  in 
New  Haven  county  outside  of  the  city 
of  New  Haven. 

There  was  no  high  school  in  the 
town,  but  several  small  private  schools, 
a  small  academy,  somewhat  irregular  in 
its  session  and  with  frequent  change  of 
teachers,  but  it  gave  instruction  to  a 
few  of  the  older  pupils.  John  D.  Post, 
for  several  years  a  teacher  in  the  Hart- 
ford Grammar  school,  came  to  Meri- 
den  in  the  autumn  of  1840,  and  estab- 
lished a  boarding  school  on  the  turn- 
pike on  Broad  street.  This  school 
fitted  young  men  for  college  and  had 
some  students  from  the  town.  Mr.  • 
Post  afterwards  had  his  brother,  the 
late  Rev.  Dr.  William  S.  Post,  of  Chi- 
cago, associated  with  him  and  they  had 
a  school  at  the  Corner,  and  then  in  the 
academy.  Still  later,  the  Meriden  In- 
stitute, with  the  late  Henry  D.  Smith, 
of  Plantsville,  as  principal,  was  opened 
in  West  Meriden. 

_  The  citizens  of  Meriden  from  early 
times  have  had  a  lively  interest  in  the 
education  of  their  children. 

The  Connecticut  State  Teachers  'As- 
sociation, next  to  that  of  Massachusetts, 
the  oldest  State  Teachers'  Association 
in  the  country,  was  organized  in  Mer- 
iden in  1846.  The  number  of  members 
was  small  at  first,  but  it  has  increased 
until  New  Haven  and  Hartford  are  the 
only  cities  in  the  state  that  can  accom- 
modate its  meetings  and  no  room  in 
these  cities   is   adequate. 

In  1840  to  1846  the  church  buildings 
of  the  town  were  near  each  other,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  turnpike,  south 
of  the  tavern.  The  rector  of  the  Epis- 
copal church  in  1837  and  1838  was  Rev. 
John  M.  Guion,  afterwards  my  associate 
in  the  institution  at  New  Britain.  In 
1841  to  1842  a  distant  relative.  Rev. 
C.  W.  Everest,  was  in  charge.  His 
scholarly  attainments  and  winning 
manners  brought  him  many  friends. 
Rev.  Harvey  Miller,  of  the  Baptist 
church,  had  been  longest  in  pastoral 
service  in  Meriden.  He  was  a  good 
preacher,      a      genial      companion,    and 


340 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


was  very  popular  in  the  community. 
D.uring  my  first  residence  in  Meri- 
den,  the  Congregational  church  had  no 
settled  pastor.  When  the  place  was 
made  our  permanent  home,  Rev.  George 
W.  Perkins  had  been  settled  over  the 
church.  He  was  sympathetic  and  gen- 
ial in  manner,  but  a  man  of  strong  con- 
victions, and  frank  and  outspoken  in 
stating  them.  He  was  ever  watchful 
for  the  interests  of  the  church  and  com- 
munity, fertile  in  suggesting  measures 
for  improvement,  and  fearless  in  the 
advocacy  of  what  he  thought  to  be 
right.  Though  at  the  present  time,  the 
views  which  he  advocated  in  regard  to 
slavery  and  other  moral  questions,  seem 
logical,  and  meet  with  general  approba- 
tion, sixty  years  ago  they  were  consid- 
ered by  many  as  chimerical.  He  was 
also  a  school  visitor,  and  in  this  po- 
sition was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts 
to  correct  abuses  and  improve  the  con- 
dition of  the  public  schools. 

It  was  during  his  pastorate,  that  the 
First  Congregational  church  removed 
its  place  of  meeting  from  Broad  street 
to  Colony  street.  The  increase  in  pop- 
ulation and  the  additions  to  the  church 
and  congregation  had  made  it  neces- 
sary that  more  room  be  provided. 
While  a  portion  of  the  church  and  so- 
ciety believed  it  advisable  to  increase 
the  accommodations  on  Broad  street, 
another  and  larger  protion  were  in  fa- 
vor of  a  new  location  nearer  the  res- 
idential center.  Some  good  people  saw 
only  disaster  in  removal.  The  condi- 
tions might  have  lead  to  strife  and  bit- 
terness of  speech,  but  this  was  prevent- 
ed, in  a  large  degree,  by  the  widsom 
and  good  judgment  of  the  pastor;  and 
two  strong  and  flourishing  churches,  so 
situated  as  better  to  serve  the  whole 
community  were  the  result. 

After  the  opening  of  the  New  Haven 
and  Hartford  railroad,  business  natur- 
ally tended  towards  the  railway  station 
and  its  vicinity.  The  opening  of  a 
number  of  new  streets  between  1845 
and  1850  facilitated  approach  to  this 
part  of  the  town.  New  factories  and 
other  places  of  business  were  located 
in  that  direction  and  vacant  lots  were 
occupied  by   residences. 

One  of  the  results  of  this  change  was 
a  gen6rous  rivalry  between  the  east- 
ern and  center  and  western  sections 
of  the  town.  Though  peaceful,  it  was 
sometimes  spirited  and  was  manifested 
in  municipal  affairs  and  to  some  extent 


in  other  matters.  Compromises  some- 
times secured  objects  which  were  ben- 
eficial to  both  sections,  while  in  other 
cases  improvements  were  secured  which 
have  proved  beneficial  to  the  general 
public. 

The  transformation  of  Meriden,  from 
an  agricultural  hamlet  to  a  semi-man- 
ufacturing town  was  at  first  slow,  and 
its  growth  from  a  sparsely  populated 
to  an  urban  place  was  gradual. 

The  increase  in  population  for  a 
whole  decade,  after  it  became  a  town, 
was  only  sixty  and  for  ten  years  from 
1830  to  1840,  was  less  than  two  hundred 
but  afterwards  the  increase  was  more 
rapid.  What  were  the  primal  causes 
which  have  given  it  so  prominent  a 
place  among  the  towns  in  the  vicinity? 
Cheshire  was  set  off  from  Wallingford 
and  made  a  town  twenty-six  years 
before  Meriden  became  a  town,  and  at 
that  time  there  was  little  difference  in 
the  population  of  the  two  places,  and 
this  equality  continued  with  little  var- 
iation for  over  forty  j^ears.  Cheshire 
had  the  advantage  of  cheaper  transpor- 
tation of  goods,  by  canal,  a  dozen  years 
before  Meriden  had  a  railroad.  At  the 
last  census,  the  population  of  Meriden 
was  more  than  fourteen  times  that  of 
Cheshire. 

When  Meriden  was  separated  from 
Wallingford  in  1806,  the  population  of 
the  latter  place  was  nearly  double  that 
of  Meriden.  As  late  as  1840,  the  pop- 
ulation of  Wallingford  was  more  than 
three  hundred  greater  than  that  of 
Meriden.  The  old  town  had  much  the 
larger  territor3%  the  same  or  greater 
water  power,  the  same  railroad  and 
was  nearer  market,  in  New  Haven  and 
New  York,  and  yet  in  1900,  its  popula- 
tion was  less  than  one-third  that  of 
Meriden.  If  we  go  out  of  the  county, 
in  another  direction,  Middletown,  bor- 
dering Meriden  on  the  northeast,  had 
been  incorporated  as  a  town  more  than 
a  hundred  and  fifty  years  and  had  been 
a  city  more  than  twenty  years,  when 
Meriden  became  a  town  and  its  pop- 
ulation in  1750  was  greater  than  that 
of  Meriden  in  1850.  It  had  greater  wa- 
ter power,  a  navigable  river,  with  ad- 
vantages of  commerce,  and  nearly 
double  the  territory  of  Meriden  and 
yet  in  1900,  the  population  of  Meriden 
exceeded  that  of  Middletown  by  more 
than   11,200. 

I  would  make  no  invidious  compar- 
isons.    The  towns   which   I   have   men- 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


341 


tioned  are  now  flourishing,  thrifty 
towns.  I  am  well  aware  that  the  per- 
centage of  increase  in  population  in 
two  of  them — Middletown  and  Wal- 
lingford — for  the  last  census  decade, 
was  greater  than  that  of  Meriden.  I 
have  referred  to  them  for  illustration, 
to  indicate  that  at  the  time  of  the  awak- 
ening in  education  and  mental  action 
near  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
and  the  corresponding  change  in  indus- 
trial pursuits,  in  many  New  England 
towns  and  cities,  Meriden  was  one  of 
the  first  to  feel  the  change,  and  respond 
to  the  new  conditions.  What  was  the 
primal  cause?  Its  situation  and  advan- 
tageous communication  with  the  busi- 
ness world  may  have  been  incidental 
causes,  but  other  towns  and  cities,  bet- 
ter located  and  having  greater  advan- 
tages, did  not  improve  so  rapidly. 

The  scholar  who  stands  on  the  Acro- 
polis at  Athens  may  be  impressed  with 
the  beauty  of  the  scenery,  or  the  mag- 
nificence of  the  ruins  about  him,  but 
he  is  thinking  of  Pericles,  or  Aristides, 
or  Thernstocles,  the  makers  of  Athens. 
So  at  Rome,  the  historian  may  be 
pleased  with  the  grandeur  of  St.  Pet- 
ers, or  the  beauty  of  the  Vatican,  but 
his  mind  reverts  to  the  story  of  Romu- 
ulus,  Marcus  Aurelius,  or  Caesar,  the 
founders   and  builders   of  Rome. 

It  was  due  to  the  thought,  or  energy, 
of  some  living  man,  or  men,  that  these 
and  other  places  became  famous,  so  if 
we  inquire  for  the  cause  of  the  su- 
premacy of  Meriden,  in  this  part  of 
Connecticut,  it  will  be  found  in  the  pur- 
poses and  deeds  of  men  who  in  wis- 
dom laid  their  plans,  overcame  obsta- 
cles, and  made  the  place  worthy  of 
the  attention  given  it,  in  the  history 
of  the  past,  or  in  the  exercises  of  the 
present  week. 

It  was  not  then  a  favorable  situation 
alone,  which  gave  Meriden  so  promi- 
nent a  position  nor  was  it  any  single 
industry,    as    in    Birmingham    or    Man- 


chester, England,  or  Lawrence  or  Man- 
chester in  the  United  States,  nor  was  it 
any  giant  of  industry,  or  finance,  Pull- 
man, Gould  or  Vanderbilt,  that  gave  in- 
spiration to  the  growth  of  the  town,  in 
its  early  history;  but  a  number  of  intel- 
ligent, persevering,  far-seeing  men,  en- 
gaged in  different  branches  of  industry, 
and  conducting  different  lines  of  work, 
yet  coinciding  in  purpose  and  co-ordi- 
nating in  effort,  by  their  influence,  in- 
spired the  changes  which  made  Meri- 
den a  conspicuous  city. 

These  men,  some  of  them  with  lib- 
eral education,  but  most  with  limited 
advantages,  and  often  with  limited 
means,  by  their  earnest  purpose  and 
untiring  perserverance,  laid  the  foun- 
dations of  prosperity  for  the  town  and 
city.  It  was  often  by  painstaking,  self- 
denial  and  the  exercise  of  great  sa- 
gacity that  success  was  attained. 

Meriden  has  been  repeatedly  hon- 
ored by  the  recognition  of  the  ability 
and  character  of  her  citizens,  as  indi- 
cated by  their  being  called  to  places 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  They  have 
been  elected  to  congress,  they  have  Deen 
called  to  the  higher  branches,  both  of 
the  national  and  state  legislatures,  have 
been  placed  in  responsible  positions  and 
have  served  their  country  well. 

While  one  of  the  most  respected  and 
most  influential  members  of  the  United 
States  senate  was  wisely  discharging  his 
duties  in  that  body,  the  highest  executive 
officer  of  the  state  and  one  of  the  most 
important  officers  of  the  largest  corpo- 
ration in  the  state  were  from  this  city, 
men  whom  the  state  delighted  to 
honor. 

The  public  institutions  of  Meriden 
are  monuments  of  the  liberality  and 
noble-mindedness  of  both  the  living 
and  the  dead ;  and  the  beauitful  parks, 
the  admiration  of  other  cities,  and  the 
delight  of  thousands  who  visit  them, 
are  the  evidence  of  official  wisdom  and 
private    munificence. 


342 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


LATE  REV.   J.   J.   WOOLLEY. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


343 


REV.  JOSEPH  J.  WOOLLEY 


One  of  the  speakers  who  had  been 
given  an  invitation  to  make  an  histor- 
ical address,  and  who  was  one  of  the 
first  to  accept  was  Rev.  Joseph  J.  Wool- 
ley,  of  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  formerly  pas- 
tor of  the  Center  Congregational 
church.  He  arrived  in  Meriden  on 
Thursday,  June  14,  and  was  the  guest 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  L.  Rockwell. 
He  was  to  have  made  his  address  on 
Friday  evening,  but  a  few  hours  before 
suffered  from  an  attack  of  what  was 
supposed  to  be  acute  indigestion  and  was 
iinable  to  deliver  the  remarks  which  no 
doubt   he    had   carefully   prepared. 

Though  still  a  sick  man  he  left  Mer- 
iden to  attend  the  commencement  exer- 
cises of  Mt.  Holyoke  college  of  South 
Hadley,  Mass.,  of  which  his  daughter. 
Miss  Mary  Woolley,  is  president.  The 
disease  became  more  aggravated  and  an 
operation  was  decided  upon,  but  his  age 
was  against  him,  and  after  the  operation 
he  gradually  grew  weaker  until  his 
death  on  Sunday,  July  i. 

Of  his  life  and  characteristics  the 
following  is  taken  from  the  Evening 
Times  of  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  where  Mr. 
Woolley  had  resided  from  the  time  of 
his  leaving  Meriden  in  1871 : 

AN    ACTIVE    LIFE. 

Rev.  Joseph  J.  Woolley  was  born  in 
Bridgeport,  Conn.,  Sept  17,  1832,  and 
was  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Fanny  (Bur- 
roughs) Woolley.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive place  and  the  preparatory  school 
of  B.  L.  Johnson.  He  then  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  becoming  a  member  of  the  New 
York  East  Conferenece.  After  pursu- 
ing the  prescribed  four  years'  course  of 
study,  he  was  ordained  deacon  in  i860 
by  Bishop  Scott,  and  two  years  later 
was  made  an  elder  by  Bishop  Mattehw 
Simpson. 

On  Oct.  4,  1861,  he  was  appointed  by 
Gov.   William   A.   Buckingham   chaplain 


of  the  Eighth  Regiment,  Connecticut 
Volunteers,  and  he  saw  service  with  the 
command  in  the  Burnside  expedition  to 
North  Carolina,  during  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion.  He  was  in  the  gales  for 
three  days  off  Hatteras  Inlet,  and  in 
the  battles  of  Roanoke  and  Newberne. 
An  illness  of  several  weeks  of  typhoid 
fever  was  the  means  of  his  being  honor- 
ably discharged  in  the  latter  part  of 
March,  1862.  He  afterwards  continued 
to  serve  the  army  in  securing  funds  for 
the  purchase  of  chaplain  tents,  these  be- 
ing for  the  holding  of  the  religious  ser- 
vices  in   the   camps. 

REMOVED   TO   PAWTUCKET   IN   187I. 

In  1871  Rev.  Mr.  Woolley  was  serving 
as  representative  in  the  Connecticut 
Legislature  from  Meriden,  Conn.,  where 
he  was  also  pastor  of  the  Center  Con- 
gregational church,  the  duties  of  which 
were  assumed  by  him  after  his  return 
from  the  war.  At  this  time  he  received 
a  call  to  come  to  Pawtucket  and  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Pawtucket  Congre- 
gational church,  having  preached  as  a 
candidate  at  the  church  for  the  first 
time  in  June  of  that  year.  The  call 
which  came  to  him  the  following  week 
was  a  unanimous  one,  and  accordingly 
he  removed  here  with  his  family  in  Sep- 
tember   of    the    same    year. 

In  March,  1882,  after  serving  the 
church  for  eleven  years,  he  resigned 
and  went  to  Europe  for  a  stay  of  three 
months. 

Upon  his  return  in  August  of  that 
year  he  was  invited  to  become  pastor 
of  a  new  church,  the  membership  be- 
ing largely  of  the  parent  church,  the 
Pawtucket  Congregational,  and  thus 
originated  the  Park  Place  Congrega- 
tional church,  of  which  Rev.  Mr.  Wool- 
ley  continued  to  be  pastor  until  his 
death.  The  Sunday  school  was  formed 
in  August,  1882,  and  not  long  after- 
wards was  instituted  the  church  society, 


344 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


the  first  meetings  being  held  in  Music 
Hall  where  they  were  continued  until 
the  building  of  the  present  church.  The 
corner  stone  was  laid  in  1884,  and  the 
dedication   followed   in    1885. 

In  February,  1889,  Rev.  Mr.  Woolley 
took  a  trip  to  the  Holy  Land  in  com- 
pany with  the  late  Thomas  P.  Barne- 
field,  then  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  of  the  church,  returning  at 
the  end  of  four  months  much  improved 
in  health. 

HIS     MILITARY     HONORS. 

In  military  circles  Rev.  Mr.  Woolley 
received  high  honors,  having  for  many 
years  served  the  Grand  Army,  Depart- 
ment of  Rhode  Island,  as  its  chaplain. 
Early  in  1898  he  was  commissioned  by 
■Gov.  Elisha  Dyer  as  chaplain  of  the 
First  Rhode  Island  Regiment,  United 
States  Volunteers,  and  he  served  with 
the  regiment  in  the  Spanish-American 
War.  He  was  afterward  made  chap- 
lain-in-chief of  the  Spanish-American 
War  Veterans'  National  association. 

He  was  a  member  of  Tower  Post, 
No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  in  which  he  has  held 
various  offices,  chief  of  which  were 
chaplain  and  post  commander.  He  rose 
in  the  state  department  of  the  Grand 
Army,  and  his  comrades  made  him 
their  chaplain,  afterward  electing  him 
to  the  office  of  department  commander 
in  1904,  in  their  desire  to  extend  him 
further    honors. 

DEEP    INTEREST    IN    CHARITY. 

Rev.  Mr.  Woolley  was  also  chaplain 
of  the  Pawtucket  Veteran  Firemen's 
Association  and  a  member  of  several 
other  organizations  of  the  city.  In  the 
charitable  work  of  the  Pawtucket  Dis- 
pensary he  took  a  deep   interest,  being 


one  of  the  most  active  workers,  and  he 
has  served  the  dispensary  as  secretary 
many   years. 

The  deceased  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  having  transferred 
his  credentials  to  Union  Lodge,  No.  10, 
of  this  city,  and  also  of  the  Knights 
Templars,  belonging  to  a  commandery 
in  Meriden,  Conn.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Providence  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E., 
and  held  the  office  of  chaplain.  In 
these  and  the  various  other  organiza- 
tions with  which  he  was  affiliated  he 
enjoyed  the  esteem  that  was  accorded 
him  everywhere  and  by  all  classes. 

December  11,  1861,  Rev.  Mr.  Woolley 
was  wedded  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Ferris, 
daughter  of  the  late  Stephen  A.  and 
Mary  Ferris  of  South  Norwalk,  Conn. 
The  ceremony  took  place  soon  after  his 
ordination,  and  while  he  was  in  the 
army  as  chaplain  of  the  Eighth  Con- 
necticut Regiment,  a  furlough  having 
been  obtained  to  permit  of  the  union. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  Woolley  in  March 
of  last  year  told  heavily  on  the  de- 
ceased, as  her  demise  was  the  first 
break,  with  one  exception,  in  the  cir- 
cle that  was  so  happy  and  harmonious. 
Mrs.  Woolley  had  been  for  years  an 
invalid,  and  during  her  illness  she  re- 
ceived that  care  and  attention  from 
her  husband  which  her  condition  re- 
quired, and  which  but  served  to  in- 
crease their  love  and  devotion. 

There  are  three  surviving  children. 
These  are  Miss  Mary  E.,  president  of 
Mt.  Holyoke  College  i^  Erving  Y.,  sales- 
man for  Stoddard,  Hazerick.  Richards 
Company,  Boston"  machinery  importers, 
and  Frank  F..  superintendent  of  the 
cotton  mills  of  the  Coventry  Company 
at  Anthony,  this  state.  A  daughter, 
Grace  E.,  died  in  infancy. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


345 


CENTENNIAL  GOLF  TOURNAMENT 


One  of  the  many  features  of  Centen- 
nial week,  the  Centennial  tournament  of 
the  Meriden  Golf  Club,  was  held  on 
Wednesday,  Thursday,  and  Friday,  with 
an  open  handicap  on  Saturday.  The 
tournament  opened  on  Wednesday, 
June  13,  with  the  qualifying  round 
at  eighteen  holes  medal  play.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  list  of  those  who  qualified 
in  the  first  sixteen : 

E.  Tredennick,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
82 ;  J.  A.  Toole,  New  Haven  Golf  club, 
84;  F.  K.  Bull,  New  Haven  Golf  club, 
87;  F.  E.  Sands,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
89;  W.  J.  Prouty,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
90;  H.  DeForest  Lockwood,  Meriden 
Golf  club,  91 ;  H.  F.  Ferry,  New  Haven 
Golf  club,  92;  E.  T.  Bradstreet,  Meri- 
den Golf  club,  92 ;  George  H.  Wilcox, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  93;  E.  W.  Pierce, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  94;  D.  W.  Camp, 
Middletown  Golf  club,  94;  W.  H.  Race, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  95;  E.  W.  Smith, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  95 ;  J.  C.  Churchill, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  96;  F.  L.  Murdock, 
Meriden  Golf  club,  97;  D.  D.  Butler, 
Middletown  Golf  club,  98. 

In  the  consolation  division  of  eight, 
the  following  qualified. 

Harold  Wilcox,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
98;  W.  I.  Wilcox,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
99;  M.  H.  Pease,  New  Britain,  100;  F. 
R.  Alexander,  Meriden  Golf  club,  102 ; 
J.  Tredennick,  Meriden  Golf  club,  108; 
H.  L.  Fitzpatrick,  New  York,  108;  I.  B. 
Miller,  Meriden  Golf  club,  no;  Roger 
Squire,  Meriden  Golf  club,  135. 

The  succeeding  rounds  at  match  play 
resulted  as  follows : 

First  round,  first  sixteen — Smith  beat 
Churchill,  Bull  beat  Murdock,  Treden- 
nick beat  Race,  Toole  beat  Pierce, 
Lockwood  beat  Butler.  Prouty  beat 
Bradstreet,  Sands  beat  Wilcox. 

First  round,  consolation — W.  I.  Wil- 


cox beat  Fitzpatrick,  Pease  beat  H.  Wil- 
cox, Mirier  beat  Squire,  J.  Tredennick 
beat  Alexander. 

Second  round,  first  sixteen — Toole 
beat  Lockwood,  Prouty  beat  Sands,  Bull 
beat  Smith,  E.  Tredennick  beat  Camp. 

First  round,  defeated  eight  of  first 
sixteen — Bradstreet  beat  Churchill,  Race 
beat  G.  H.  Wilcox,  Ferry  beat  Mur- 
dock, Pierce  beat  Butler. 

Semi-finals,  first  sixteen — Bull  beat  E. 
Tredennick,   Toole  beat   Prouty. 

Semi-finals,    consolation — Pease    beat 

W.  L  Wilcox,  J.  Tredennick  beat  Miller. 

Finals,  first  sixteen — Bull  beat  Toole. 

Finals,     consolation — Pease     beat     J. 

Tredennick. 

Finals,  beaten  eight — Race  beat  Brad- 
street. 

The  handicap  Saturday,  June  16,  was 
won  by  W.  H.  Race,  Meriden  Golf  club, 
with  a  score  of  88-9-79.  Mason  Phelps, 
New  Haven  Golf  club,  won  the  gross 
prize  with  a  score  of  79. 

The  prizes  were  won  as  follows  dur- 
ing the  tournament : 

Best  score,  qualifying  round,  cut  glass 
decanter,  E.  Trendennick. 

Winner,  first  sixteen,  sterling  silver 
pitcher— F.  K.  Bull  of  Yale. 

Runner-up,  first  sixteen,  cut  glass  de- 
canter— J.   A.   Toole,  of  Yale. 

Winner  of  beaten  eight,  first  sixteen, 
cut    glass    decanter — W    H.    Race. 

Runner-up  of  beaten  eight,  first  six- 
teen, smoker's  stand — E.  T.  Bradstreet. 
Winner  second  sixteen  ,cut  glass  cigar 
jar — M.    H.    Pease,    New    Britain    Golf 
club. 

Runner-up  second  sixteen,  cut  glass 
decanter — John    Tredennick. 

Best  gross  score  in  handicap,  optic 
cut  glass   jug — Mason   Phelps,  Yale. 

Best  net  score  in  handicap,  thistle  cut 
glass  jug — W.  M.  Race. 


346 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


CONNECTICUT  VOLK'S  FEST  VEREIN 


Rain  interfered  with  a  German  so- 
ciety at  the  opening  of  the  celebration 
of  Centennial  week.  That  was  last 
Sunday  when  the  Meriden  Rifle  club 
was  driven  from  their  grounds  in 
Schuetzen  park  by  a  heavy  storm,  after 
a  most  beautiful  day.  Monday  opened 
bright,  clear  and  hot  and  the  rest  of  the 
week  was  all  that  could  be  desired.  If 
the  weather  had  been  made  to  order 
nothing  better  could  have  been  served 
to  the  people.  Rain  came  to-day  when 
the  Germans  were  to  close  the  parade 
part  of  the  observance  of  the  week. 

The  weather,  though,  had  no  effect 
on  the  members  of  the  State  Saenger- 
fest.  With  a  slight  exception  they  fol- 
lowed out  the  programme  as  originally 
laid  out.  This  exception  was  in  the  line 
of  march.  Three  streets  were  cut  off 
the  line  and  from  the  hall  on  State 
street  the  several  societies  went  direct 
to  Terrace  garden. 

The  parade  was  scheduled  to  leave 
Saengerbund  hall  at  9  o'clock  but  it 
was  nearer  11  before  the  line  was 
formed.  The  delay  was  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  Waterbury  society  could  not 
get  here  on  the  time  promised.  They 
were  obliged  to  wait  for  an  engine  at 
Waterbury  and  it  was  after  10  o'clock 
before  they  reached  this  city.  At  that 
time  it  was  raining  quite  hard  but  the 
fest  must  be  held  and  when  Professor 
Keller  sounded  his  whistle  the  men 
formed  in  line  and  headed  by  the  Wa- 
terbury band  marched  to  Terrace  gar- 
den whede  the  events  of  the  day  were 
held. 

There  were  eighten  members  of  the 
Wallingford  Eintracht  accompanied  by 
150  of  their  friends,  men  as  well  as 
women.  Forty  singers  came  from  the 
Waterbury  Lyra  and  200  people  accom- 
panied them.  The  New  Britain  Teu- 
tonia  Maennerchor  was  represented  by 
twenty  singers  and  they  had  about  100 
rooters  to  aid  them  in  winning  the  lau- 
rel wreath. 

The  Meriden  Saengerbund  was  out  in 
full  force.     Nothing  except  sickness  or 


death   could   keep   a   member   away,   no 
matter  what  the  weather  might  be.  The       J 
New    Haven,    Bridgeport    and    Ansonia       \ 
societies    were    not    represented    in    the 
parade  although   some  of  the  members 
came  to  the  city  in  the  afternoon. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  societies  at  Ter- 
race garden  family  picnics  were  held, 
old  acquaintances  renewed  and  new  ones 
formed  and  a  jolly  time  was  had  de- 
spite the  unpleasant  weather.  A  sub- 
stantial lunch  was  served  and  in  the 
afternoon  the  singing  contest  opened. 
Between  the  set  pieces  on  the  pro- 
gramme there  was  individual  singing 
and  also  songs  by  the  several  societies. 
The  programme  for  the  contest  was  as 
follows : 

Heimatersen,  A.  Opladen,  Walling- 
ford  Eintracht. 

Mein  Lied,  G.  Angerer,  Waterbury 
Lyra. 

Im  Grasse,  M.  Spicker,  New  Britain 
Teutonia  Maennerchor. 

Rheinische  Braufahrt,  F.  Ullrich, 
Meriden   Saengerbund. 

Afterwards  all  the  societies  combined 
and  rendered : 

Muttersprache,  F.  Hagar. 

Landkennung,  Ed.  Grieg. 

America. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  social 
gathering  in  the  large  hall  at  Terrace 
garden. 

HISTORY     OF    THE    ORGANIZA- 
TION. 

The  Connecticut  Volk's  Fest  Verein, 
the  German  singing  society  under 
whose  auspices  the  greatest  saenger- 
fest  in  the  New  England  states  is  held, 
was  founded  about  five  years  ago.  It 
was  then  known  as  the  Meriden  Saen- 
gerbund. The  reasons  for  the  forma- 
tion of  the  new  society  was  the  great 
amount  of  trouble  that  prevailed  at 
the  time  in  the  awarding  of  the  prizes. 
In  order  to  overcome  all  difficulties  anJ 
to  put  each  society  on  its  proper  foun- 
dation and  that  the  awards  should  be 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


347 


on  merits  of  honor,  the  Meriden  Saen- 
gerbund  was  formed.  Since  that 
time  honors  only  have  been  awarded. 
The  Meriden  Saengerbund  now  has 
a  record  that  is  known  for  its  ex- 
cellence from  one  end  of  the  country 
to  the  other.  Whenever  it  gives  a 
fest  it  is  sure,  no  matter  what  the 
weather  might  be,  there  will  be  rep- 
resentatives of  singing  societies  from 


J.  H.  KELLER. 

several  parts  of  the  state,  and,  in  ad- 
dition to  that,  delegates  from  other 
states. 

From  a  little  bit  of  a  society  of  only 
a  few  members,  the  Meriden  Saenger- 
bund has  become  an  important  factor 
in  the  singing  world  among  the  Ger- 
man population  of  the  New  England 
states.  It  is  well  known  that  thus 
far  the  judgment  has  not  been  contra- 
dicted. The  awards  of  the  Meriden 
society  are  worth  bearing  home.  In 
order  to  show  that  the  Meriden  Saen- 
gerbund has  some  influence  mention  is 
made  of  a  few  of  the  singing  societies 
that  have  come  under  its  ban. 

They  are:  The  Eintracht  Saenger- 
bund, of  Wallingf ord ;  Lyra,  of  Water- 
bury;  Teutonia  Maennerchor,  of  New 
Britain;      Harugari     Liederteufel,     of 


New  Haven;  Maennerchor,  of  Ansonia, 
and  the  Schwaben  Maennerchor,  of 
Bridgeport. 

The  present  seat  of  the  bund  is  in 
Wallingford.  The  president  is  John 
Schleiff  of  that  town;  Geo.  Lohmann, 
of  this  city,  is  the  vice-president,  and 
Rudolph  Wagner  is  the  secretary. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  society  to  make 
the  meeting  this  year  the  banner  one 
of  its  existence.  It  will  spare  no  ex- 
pence  to  that  end.  There  is  not  a 
German  who  has  any  kind  of  a  voice 
who  is  not  ready  and  willing  to  do 
all  that  he  can  to  that  end.  Prepara- 
tions had  been  going  on  for  months 
to  make  the  saengerfest  one  that  would 
be  long  remembered  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  attended.      The  society  hall 


GEORGE  H.  LOHMANN. 

on  State  street  was  handsomely  decor- 
ated in  honor  of  the  occasion.  There 
was  not  a  thing  wanting,  from  the  time 
the  delegates  stepped  off  the  train  to 
the  time  they  left.  Even  the  wives, 
daughters,  sisters  and  sweethearts  of 
the  delegates  were  in  good  hands  while 
they  were  in  the  city  of  Meriden. 

Rudolph   Boehl   is   the   president   of 
the   local   society.       He   was   born    in 


348 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Germany  in  1869  and  came  to  this 
country  November  1,  1886.  He  work- 
ed in  and  about  New  York  for  six 
years  and  in  1892  he  decided  that  there 
were  better  opportunities  for  a  young 
man  in  Meriden  than  elsewhere,  and 
made  this  city  his  home.  He  worked 
at  his  trade  as  a  baker  for  seven 
years,  and  then  started  out  for  him- 
self.      Since   then    he   has    met   with 


JOHN  KIPP. 

prosperity  and  has  built  up  a  good 
business  at  his  place  on  Pratt  street. 
In  September.  1901,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  Meriden  society  and 
has  since  held  that  office. 

William  Schwatlow  is  another  mem- 
ber of  the  Meriden  society  who  ranks 
high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow 
members.  He  is  whole-hearted  and 
jolly  and  is  the  life  of  any  gathering 
in  which  circumstance  throws  him. 
Although  what  is  called  a  passive 
member  he  has  at  all  times  the  inter- 
ests of  the  society  at  heart,  and  for 
months  has  been  an  active  worlier  for 
the  success  of  the  fest. 

Professor  John  H.  Keller,  the  leader 
of  the  Meriden  Saengerbund,  is  one  of 


the  best  conductors  and  organists  In 
the  New  England  states.  As  a  teach- 
er of  vocal  and  instrumental  music  he 
is  well  known,  not  alone  in  this  coun- 
try, but  in  the  fatherland.  It  was 
there  he  first  studied  the  rudiments  of 
music.  He  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  first  studied  music  in  Speyer. 
From  there  he  went  to  Karlsuhre, 
where  he  finished  his  course  on  the 
organ.  For  years  after  that  he  was 
an  organist  in  Deittensfield,  and  then 
he  went  to  Gelheim.  When  he  came 
to  this  country  he  secured  his  first 
employment  in  an  opera  house  in 
Bridgeport.  For  a  time  he  was  the 
butt  of  ridicule  among  the  alleged 
musicians  in  the  orchestra,  but  they 
soon  found  that  he  was  their  master 
in  more  senses  than  in  the  line  of 
music.       Then   Prof.   Keller   came   to 


E.  FEHSE. 

Meriden,  and  since  the  time  he  started 
he  has  met  with  well  deserved  success. 
As  a  teacher  of  the  flute,  organ,  piano 
or  any  musical  instrumnt,  he  ranks 
among  the  best,  and  his  pupils  have 
no  difficulty  in  securing  positions.  Prof. 
Keller  lives  with  his  family  in  a  de- 
lightful home  in  Lewis  avenue. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


349 


Here  are  a  few  of  the  members  of 
the  Meriden  bund  who  are  of  some 
note  in  the  singing  world: 

Herman  Michaelis,  of  this  city,  is 
a  charter  member,  a  founder  and  an 
ex-president  of  the  bund.  He  came 
to  this  city  from  Germany,  where  he 
was  born,  in  1875,  and  since  that  time 
he  has  been  employed  in  one  of  the 
factories  in  Meriden. 


WILLIAM   SCHWATLOW. 

Another  ex-president  is  Emil  Fehse. 
He  is  the  vice-chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee of  arrangements.  He  was  sec- 
retary of  the  society  for  eight  years. 
He  was  born  in  Germany,  and  nine 
years  ago  came  to  this  city  which  he 
has  since  made  his  home.  He  sings 
second  bass  in  the  society. 

Henry  Rebscher  is  another  ex-presi- 
dent of  the  society;  he  is  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  treasurer.  Germany  is 
his  native  place  and  he  came  to  this 
city  in  1882.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  an  estimator  at  the  works  of 
Miller  &  Co.  At  all  times  he  has  his 
voice  under  full  control  and  has  the 
interests  of  the  organization  at  heart. 
He    is    one    of   the    most    enthusiastic 


of  the  members  for  the  success  of  the 
fest. 

The  present  secretary  of  the  Meri- 
den Saengerbund  is  Julius  L.  Kipp. 
He  is  also  an  ex-president.  He  has 
been  a  singer  since  1887,  since  which 
time  he  became  a  member  of  the  bund. 
Formerly  he  was  employed  by  Edward 
Miller  &  Co.,  but  at  the  present  is 
with  the  Wrought  Metal  &  Light  Co. 

Clestine  Weyer  is  a  native  of  France. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  and 
Meriden  in  1881  and  has  lived  in  this 
city  ever  since.  Five  years  ago, 
shortly  after  its  organization,  .he 
joined  the  Meriden  Saengerbund.  He 
has  a  good  bass  voice  that  is  a  delight 
to  listen  to  at  all  times. 


RUDOLPH  BOBHLB. 

George  Lohmann,  the  engraver,  is 
the  only  honorary  member  of  the 
Meriden  Saengerbund.  He  is  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  society,  and  while 
not  active  in  all  of  the  work  that  is 
going  on  from  time  to  time,  he  is  al- 
ways on  hand  at  a  rehearsal.  For 
several  terms  he  served  as  the  presi- 
dent of  the  society  and  the  members 
love  him  with  all  their  hearts.       He 


350 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


is  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  and 
to  know  him  is  to  honor  him. 

In  writing,  speaking,  thinking  or 
dreaming  of  the  Meriden  Saengerbund 
one  must  not  overlook  one  of  the  most 
important  of  its  members — that  is  the 
grand  marshal.  Hft  is  George  Dahm, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
society.  He  was  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  this  city  in  1882,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  recently.  He 
does  not  forget  his  old  affiliations.  If 
there  is  anything  doing  of  any  mo- 
ment he  is  sure  to  be  on  hand  with 
advice,    and    cash    if    it    is    necessary. 


To  him  as  well  as  to  other  members 
of  the  society  is  the  success  of  the 
present  singing  fest  due. 

There  is  still  another  member  of  the 
Saengerbnnd  who  stands  high,  not  only 
in  the  society,  but  with  all  people  of 
Meriden — that  is  August  Maschmeyer. 
He  is  at  the  present  time  one  of  the 
police  commissioners.  Commissioner 
Maschmeyer  was  born  in  Germany 
and  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Meriden  Saengerbund.  He  was  for- 
merly a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil and  represented  Meriden  in  the 
legislature. 


HOLY  CROSS-WESLEYAN  BASE  BALL  GAME 


In  spite  of  the  drizzling  rain  that  at 
one  time  threatened  to  make  it  impos- 
sible to  play  the  Holy  Cross-Wesleyan 


JOHN  FLYNN, 
Captain  Holy  Cross  Team. 

game,  the  concluding  sporting  event  of 
the  Centennial,  the  contest  took  place 
at    Hanoevr   park,    Saturday   afternoon, 


and  considering  the  weather  conditions, 
was  a  fine  one  and  had  a  large  audience. 

The  conditions  weatherwise  could 
not  be  worse  for  baseball,  and  were  it 
not  for  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
Sports  committee  to  pull  off  the  game  so 
as  to  make  no  break  in  the  programme 
from  beginning  to  end,  the  chances  are 
that  it  would  have  been  postponed.  A 
drizzling  rain  fell  all  the  time  on  the 
bleachers.  It  was  the  only  ball  game 
played  in  this  section  Saturday. 

With  the  ending  of  that  game  every 
event  that  was  arranged  by  the  Sports 
committee  of  the  Centennial  was  car- 
ried out  and  each  one  brought  in  a 
revenue  to  the  general  fund.  If  the 
weather  had  been  fair  the  grounds  would 
have  been  packed  and  instead  of  the 
committee's  share  being  $245  it  would 
have  been  at  least  $500.  As  it  was,  the 
result  was  very  satisfactory  form  a  finan- 
cial standpoint,  the  estimate  given  the 
General  committee  some  months  ago  of 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  Centennial  sports 
being    exceeded. 

Monroe  and  Mansfield,  the  opposing 
pitchers,  were  in  great  form  and  did 
fine  work.  The  Holy  Cross  boys  gave 
their  pitcher  excellent  support,  and  up 
to  the  ninth  inning  had  kept  Wesleyan 
from  scoring.  In  the  meantime,  owing 
to  the  swell  stick  work  of  Captain  Flynn, 
Hoey  and  Reidy  and  Carrigan,  Holy 
Cross  had  piled  up  four  runs  and  was 
on  easy  street.  Cunningham's  misplays 
in  left  field  helped  along  some. 

In  the  ninth  Wesleyan  woke  up  and 
in   jig  time  had  one  run  in  with  three 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


351 


DR.  D.  J.  CARNEY, 
Coach  of  Holy  Cross  Team. 


JAMES   M.   QUINN, 
Manager    Holy    Cross    Team. 


CAPTAIN  HANCOCK, 
Third    Baseman    Wesleyan    Team. 


PITCHER   MONROE, 
Of  Wesleyan  'Varsity  Team. 


352 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


on  bases  and  only  one  out.  Ennis 
booted  a  hot  one  and  another  run  came 
in  and  the  man  who  was  on  second  tried 
to  score,  but  Jack  Barry  got  the  ball 
and  shot  it  home  ahead  of  him,  cutting 
off  a  run  and  making  two  out.  The 
next  man  was  thrown  out  by  Mansfield 
and  the  game  was  won  for  Holy  Cross. 

The  contest  pleased  all  who  saw  it, 
and  both  teams  were  impartially  cheered 
for  their  good  work. 

The  score : 


HOLY    CROSS 

ab. 

r. 

lb 

po 

a. 

e. 

Ennis,  3b. 

5 

0 

0 

2 

I 

2 

Barry,  ss, 

4 

0 

I 

2 

6 

I 

Hoey,    If, 

4 

I 

I 

I 

0 

0 

J.   Flynn,   ib, 

4 

2 

3 

14 

1 

0 

Carrigan,   c. 

3 

0 

I 

6 

2 

0 

Reidy,  rf- 

3 

0 

I 

0 

0 

0 

Courtney,  cf, 

4 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

F.  Flynn,  2b, 

3 

0 

0 

2 

4 

2 

Mansfield,  p. 

4 

I 

2 

0 

5 

0 

WESLEYAN. 

ab. 

r. 

lb.  po 

a. 

e. 

Hancock,   3b, 

4 

0 

0     I 

4 

0 

Haley.  2b, 

4 

0 

I     I 

I 

0 

Cunningham, 

If, 

4 

I 

I     2 

0 

2 

Monroe,  p, 

2 

I 

I     0 

2 

0 

Smith,    lb. 

3 

0 

I   II 

T 

0 

Burke,  If, 

4 

0 

0    0 

0 

0 

Day,  c. 

4 

0 

0  II 

I 

I 

Bristol'    ss, 

4 

0 

I     0 

4 

0 

Campaign,  cf. 

3 

0 

0     I 

0 

0 

32    2    5  27  13    3 

00021  100  o — ^4 

000000000  2 — 2 


Totals, 


34    4    9  27  19     5 


Totals, 
Holy  Cross, 
Wesleyan, 

The  summary — Two  base  hits,  T. 
Flynn,  Cunningham ;  sacrifice  hits, 
Reidy,  Smith ;  stolen  bases,  Reidy-  Hoey, 
Mansfield,  Carrigan ;  double  play,  F. 
Flynn,  Barry  and  J.  Flynn ;  hit  by  pitch- 
er, Carrigan ;  bases  on  balls,  off  Mon- 
roe I,  off  Mansfield  2;  struck  out,  by 
Monroe  8,  by  Mansfield  4;  left  on  bases. 
Holy  Cross  6,  Wesleyan  6;  umpire, 
Schiffer;   time  of  game,    1:30. 


A   FLOAT   IN   THE   INDUSTRIAL  PARADE. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


353 


Centennial  Comfort  Houses 


At  the  call  of  the  chairman,  Mrs.  A. 
Chaniherlain,  the  Ladies'  Reception  and 
Entertainment  committee  of  the  Cen- 
tennial held  an  important  meeting  in 
the  parlors  of  the  First  Congregational 
church  Tuesday  afternoon,  May  22,  and 
completed  the  appointment  of  sub-com- 
mittees to  run~  the  "Comfort  House," 
which  was  open  all  the  week  in  the  par- 
lors of  the  First  Congregational  church 


MRS.   A.   CHAMBERLAIN. 
Chairman  Ladies"  Reception  Committee. 

for  the  care  and  comfort  of  ladies  and 
children.  A  special  committee  was 
named  for  each  day. 

The  Comfort  House  occupied  the 
parlors  and  kitchen  of  the  church,  and 
light  refreshments  were  served  to  la- 
dies   and     children     there.        Competent 

23 


maids  and  a  trained  nurse  were  in  con- 
stant attendance. 

The  committees  in  charge  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

General  Chairman — Mrs.  A.  Cham- 
berlain. 

Vice  Chairmen — Mrs.  B.  C.  Kennard 
and  j\lrs.  George  C.  Merriam. 

Secretary — Mrs.   N.   F.   Griswold. 

Treasurer — Mrs  W.   H.   Catlin. 

IN     CHARGE     MONDAY,     JUNE     II. 

Mrs.  F.  E.  Sands,  chairman;  Mrs.  A. 
Chamberlain.  Mrs.  H.  Wales  Lines, 
Mrs.  C.  L.  Rockwell,  Mrs.  C.  F.  Lins- 
ley,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Piatt,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Rog- 
ers, Mrs.  G.  H.  Wilcox,  Mrs.  F.  Stev- 
enson, Mrs.  Henry  Warren,  Mrs.  N.  L. 
Bradley.   Mrs.    W.    B.   Cashen,   Mrs.    C. 

F.  Rockwell,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Billard,  Mrs. 
J.  S.  Norton,  jr..  Mrs.  G.  E.  Savage, 
Mrs.  J.  H.  White. 

IN    CHARGE   TUESDAY,   JUNE    12. 

Mrs.  L  B.  Miller,  chairman;  Mrs.  H. 
1.  King.  Mrs.  C.  T.  Dodd.  Mrs.  W.  A. 
Hickox,  Mrs.  S.  Bernstein.  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Finnegan.  Mrs.  A.  D.  Meeks.  Mrs.  W. 
H.  Catlin.  Mrs.  A.  M.  Brooks.  Mrs.  C. 
E.  Stockder,  Mrs.  C.  J.  Danaher,  Mrs. 
E.  E.  Smith,  Mrs.  H.  A.  Meeks,  Mrs. 
L.   A.   Miller,   Mrs.   G.   M.   Curtis,   Mrs. 

G.  C.  Merriam,  Mrs.  C.  H.  S.  Davis. 

IN     CHARGE     WEDNESDAY,     JUNE     I3. 

]\Irs.  W.  H.  Catlin,  chairman;  Mrs. 
Francis  Atwater,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Davis. 
]Mrs.  Herman  Hess.  Mrs.  E.  T.  Brad- 
street.  Mrs.  John  W.  Coe.  Mrs.  J.  H 
Hinsdale.  Miss  Kittie  Nickerson,  Mrs. 
W.  L  Wilcox,  Miss  Lucv  Peck.  Mrs.  E. 
A.  Boardman.  Mrs.  E.  H.  White.  Mrs. 
C.  H.  Stockder,  Miss  Ruth  Merriam, 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Thomas,  Mrs.  G.  A.  Fay, 
Mrs.  Floyd  Curtis. 

IN  CHARGE  THURSDAY,  JUNE   I4 

Mrs.  N.  F.  Griswold,  chairman;  Mrs. 
Maurice  O'Brien.  Mrs.  J.  S.  Lane.  Mrs. 
H.  C.  Wilcox.  Miss  Mary  A.  Butler, 
Mrs.    J.    H.    Chapin.    Mrs.    Lew    Allen. 


354 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Mrs.  W.  G.  Warnock.  Mrs.  T.  L.  Reilly, 
Mrs.  George  Cooley,  Mrs.  Albert  Babb, 
Miss  Elsie  Lyon,  Miss  Claire  Converse, 
Mrs.  A.  B.  Mather,  Mrs.  George  A. 
Church,  Mrs.  John  Ives,  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Curtiss. 

IN     CHARGE    FRIDAY,    JUNE     I5. 

Mrs.  W.  F.  Parker,  chairman;  Mrs. 
H  A.  Cnrtiss,  Mrs.  C.  S.  Howard,  Mrs. 
P.    C.   Rand.    Mrs.   C.   L.   Upham,   Mrs. 

A.  T.  Randall,  Mrs.  W.  W.  Mosher. 
Mrs.  C.  N.  Winslow,  Mrs.  S.  J.  Hall, 
Mrs.  L.  E.  Savage,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Rich- 
mond, Mrs.  J.  L.  Rutherford,  Mrs.  G. 
R.  Curtis,  Mrs.  E.  W.  Pierce,  Mrs.  E. 
W.  Smith,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Merriman,  Mrs. 
J.   Q.   Thayer. 

IN      CHARGE      SATURDAY,     JUNE      16. 

Mrs.  George  M.  Lucas,  chairman ; 
Mrs.  E.  Tredennick,  Miss  Sallie  Collins, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Squire,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Squire, 
Mrs.  B.  C.  Kennard,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Muel- 
ler, Mrs  Hubert  L.  Little,  Mrs.  E.  B. 
Everitt.  Mrs.  J.  F.  Allen,  Mrs.  C.  L. 
Lvon,  Miss  Nan  Carter,  Mrs.  J.  C. 
ChM.rchill,  Mrs.  W.  J.  Prouty,  Mrs.  W. 

B.  Ives,   Mrs.   Harvey  Remington,   Mrs. 

C.  A.    Learned. 

The  ladies  adopted  yellow  as  the  col- 
or  of  their   Centennial   badges 

The  inspiration  of  the  establishment 
of  the  comfort  rooms  in  the  citj'  during 
the  wee'<'s  celebration  was  a  happy  one. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  more  than  one  that 
the  person  who  suggested  it  should  be 
rewarded  with  a  medal.  If  it  had  not 
been  for  these  cool,  dark  rooms  more 
ti'an  one  woman  would  have  fallen  in 
a  faint  on  the  streets  of  the  city,  es- 
pcciall}'    on    Wednesday    and    Thursday. 


Those  days  of  all  were  the  most  trying 
on  the  physique  and  nerves  of  the  wom- 
en, and  the  men  were  more  than  glad 
to  take  advantage  of  the  shelter  that 
was  offered. 

It  was  estimated  that  at  least  300  peo- 
ple were  happy  to  take  advantage  of  the 
luxury  of  the  cool  rest  that  was  afforedd 
them  and  also  of  the  light  lunch.  Thurs- 
day was  the  day  that  taxed  the  efforts 
of  the  waitresses  but  they  stuck  to  the 
task  set  before  them  and  those  who 
went  away  were  more  than  pleased  with 
their  reception  and  the  treatment  ac- 
corded them.  A  trifle  over  $34  was  tak- 
en in  for  lunches  on  that  day.  Of 
course,  that  does  not  give  any  idea  of 
the  number  of  patrons  as  some  spent 
only  five  cents  while  others  handed  in 
checks  that  called  for  many  times  that 
amount.  The  committee,  though,  were 
well  pleased  with  the  week's  work. 

W.    C.    T.    U.    ROOMS. 

The  Women's  Christian  Temperance 
union  opened  their  comfort  rooms  in  the 
City  Mission  building  on  East  Main 
street  late  Tuesday.  They  closed  Fri- 
day night.  These  rooms  at  the  start  be- 
came popular.  Every  member  of  the 
committee  took  hold  with  a  will  and 
they  advertised  the  fact  that  a  good 
home-made  meal  could  be  procured 
there  at  a  reasonable  cost.  From  early 
morning  to  the  closing  hour  the  rooms 
were  filled  with  people  who  enjoyed  the 
rest  aft'orded  them  and  also  the  lunch 
that  they  procured.  The  committee  is 
of  the  belief  that  at  least  700  people  par- 
took of  meals  in  the  rooms,  ^^vs  to  the 
number  of  visitors  no  one  can  give  the 
least  estimate. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


355 


Loan  Exhibit 


The  historical  loan  exhibition  held  in 
the  parish  house  of  St.  Andrew's 
church,  was  one  of  the  most  attractive 
features  of  the  Centennial.  Walter  S. 
Billard  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
in  charge,  but  it  was  conducted  prin- 
cipally under  the  direction  of  Ruth 
Hart  chapter  and  Susan  Carrington 
Clarke  cahpter,  Daughters  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  with  such  ladies  in 
charge  as  Mrs.  C.  L.  Rockwell,  Mrs. 
N.  F.  Gi-iswold,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Catlin,  Mrs. 
A.  P.  Hall,  Mrs.  Grace  Arnold,  Mrs. 
Hiram  Yale,  Mrs.  N.  D.  Hosley,  Mrs. 
J.  Q.  Thayer,  Mrs.  Albert  Babb,  Mrs. 
G.  N.  Morse,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Rogers  and 
many  others. 

The  collection  of  antiquities  was  not 
only  large,  but  it  was  so  varied  that 
ever}-  taste  was  appealed  to  and  the 
amount  of  instruction  one  secured  and 
the  genuine  interest  that  was  aroused  is 
quite    astonishing. 

The  collection  was  admirably  placed, 
and  there  was  sufficient  room  so  that 
all  articles  could  be  studied  at  close 
range.  To  the  connoisseur  some  of  the 
bits  of  paper,  representing  deeds,  auto- 
graphs, etc.,  were  most  fascinating  and 
many  of  these  things  were  connected 
with  names  of  men  and  women  famous 
in  history  and  also  with  those  directly 
concerned  with  the  making  of  Meriden. 

?^Iany  a  story  of  romance  and  chival- 
ry was  embodied  in  some  bit  of  rare 
embroidery,  a  jeweled  buckle  or  fan, 
and  many  a  prosaic  tale  might  be  told 
of  a  staple  piece  of  furniture  or  fine 
e.xample   of   needlework. 

Representative  of  the  latter  was  a 
white  bedspread  wonderfully  wroiight 
in  elaborate  fruit  and  flower  design, 
which  was  made  by  a  young  damsel  as 
a  portion  of  her  "setting  out"  when 
she  married  an  officer  who  fought  in 
the  war  of  1812.  This  spread  was  the 
property  of  Mrs.   C.   E.  Hewitt. 

A  very  modest  piece  of  furniture 
which   attracted   much   attention   on    ac- 


count of  its  local  historical  value  was 
a  large  arm  chair  made  for  Dr.  Isaac 
Hough.  History  says  the  gentleman 
was  of  portly  build  and  so  springs  were 
fastened  to  the  front  legs  which  gave 
an  ease  to  the  chair  which  was  quite 
astonishing. 

One  of  the  richest  things  on  exhibi- 
tion was  a  massive  tea  service  in  solid 
silver,  100  3'ears  old,  the  property  of 
Mrs.  C.  T.  Dodd,  who  inherited  it  from 
her  great  grandmother. 

The  communion  service,  dated  1796, 
belonging  to  the  Center  Congregational 
church,  also  has  a  history  which  is  most 
interesting.  One  of  the  most  valuable 
exhibits  was  a  carved  arm  chair  brought 
from  England  in  1620.  The  first  piano 
ever  brought  to  Meriden  was  an  artis- 
tic piece  of  furniture  and  though  its 
tone  may  be  a  trifle  "thin,"  it  did  not 
lessen  its  attraction.  Its  beautiful  ma- 
hogany case  was  exquisitely  inlaid  with 
lighter  wood- on  which  were  scenes  of 
foreign  lands.  Its  base  drum  attach- 
ment is  another  unique  feature. 

An  article  which  never  failed  to  catch 
the  attention  of  a  fond  mother  was  the 
"suit  of  clothes  for  a  boy  of  eight." 
They  were  fearfully  and  wonderfully 
made  and  it  took  a  tremendous  stretch 
of  the  imagination  to  fancy  one  of  our 
modern  Buster  Brown  suited  young- 
sters in  such  a  concoction  of  dressmak- 
ing. Trousers  of  the  high  water  type 
were  topped  with  a  little  short  waist, 
the  suit  being  trimmed  fore  and  aft  with 
rows  of  buttons.  A  little  calico  vest 
and  white  cotton  cape  added  to  the 
picturesque  effect  and  the  finishing 
touch  was  provided  in  the  white  straw 
stovepipe   hat. 

Poke  bonnets  and  dainty  empire 
gowns,  "dreams"  of  gauzy  shawls,  ex- 
quisite lace  and  embroidery  with  occa- 
sional gems,  showed  that  my  lady 
thought  as  much  of  observing  Dame 
Fashion's  mandates  a  century  ago  as 
now. 


356 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Two  old  clocks  which  were  made  by 
B.  &  H.  Twiss,  attracted  considerable 
attention.  Benjamin  Twiss  was  the 
father  of  Miss  Faimie  Twiss. 

Some  of  the  choicest  china  was  loaned 
by  Mrs.  Charles  L.  Rockwell,  who  has 
a  valuable  collection. 

The  case  containing  the  Breeches  Bi- 
ble was  at  all  times  the  center  of  inter- 
ested  men  and   women. 

The  cases  containing  the  articles 
loaned  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Catlin 
had  numbers  of  people  about  them  at 
all  hours,  and  who  were  interested  in 
the  exhibit.  The  old  turnkeys  used  for 
years  and  years  to  pull  teeth  were  ob- 
jects of  much   comment. 

Though  not  the  largest  there,  occupy- 
ing a  small  spot  in  a  show  case,  was  a 
little  article  loaned  by  Mrs.  S.  C.  Pinks. 
It  preached  a  sermon  on  duty  to  the 
flag.  It  was  an  invitation  to  Henry 
Flint,  who  fought  at  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill,  to  attend  the  laying  of  the 
corner  stone  of  the  monviment  which 
took  place  on  June  17,  1825.  He  was 
there  and  was  a  guest  of  honor. 

Two  large  cases  were  devoted  to  the 
articles  loaned  by  George  M.  Curtis. 
One  interesting  article  was  the  book- 
plate of  Andrew  Belcher,  and  of  his  son, 
Andrew  Belcher,  jr.  There  was  in  the 
same  case  an  autograph  of  Jonathan 
Trumbull.  This  was  dated  in  1777. 
There  was  a  George  the  Third  pimch  la- 
dle and  a  robe  worn  at  the  coronation 
of  that  king.  There  was  a  book  of  the 
sermons  of  Theophilus  Hall,  the  first 
minister  to  officiate  in  Meriden.  In  an- 
other case  was  the  Britches  Bible.  A 
bookplate  of  Samuel  Johnson,  the  first 
United  States  senator  from  Connecti- 
cut,   was    also    in    this   collection. 

Among  articles  loaned  by  Mrs.  Cas- 
telow  was  a  Wheedon  tortoise  plate  that 
was  worth  its  weight  in  gold.  It  was  as 
rare  as  it  is  valuable  and  does  not  show 
any  signs  of  usage.  It  was  the  gem  of 
the  collection.  A  desk  150  years  old 
was  an  interesting  piece  of  furniture. 
It  was  used  in  1754-5  by  Rev.  John 
Hubbard. 

Mrs.  W.  H.  Catlin  had  a  case  full  of 
all  sorts  of  old  and  interesting  articles 
that  have  come  down  to  her  from  gen- 
erations back.  There  were  some  rare 
old  plates  and  near  them  a  cape  made 
from  the  seed  of  the  milk  weed.  There 
was  what  looked  like  a  tea  pot  with  the 
accompanying  sugar  bowl  of  which  Mrs. 
Catlin  could  not  give  the  age.     That  it 


was  old  and  valuable  there  was  no  doubt. 
At  the  other  end  of  the  case  was  the 
wedding  dress  of  Rev.  Theophilus  Hall's 
wife.  It  was  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old  and  three  generations  have 
worn  it  on  fheir  wedding  day. 

Darby  and  Joan,  showing  signs  of 
age  and  slightly  moth  eaten,  were  loaned 
to  the  Daughters  by  Mrs.  J.  L.  Ruth- 
erford. They  were  made  in  1600  and 
attracted  more  than  passing  notice. 

During  the  week  there  were  2,579  paid 
admissions.  Monday,  138;  Tuesday, 
506;  Wednesday,  514;  Thursday,  689; 
Friday,   580. 


The  following  is  the  list  of  exhibits, 
as  near  complete,  as  it  was  possible  to 
obtain  : 


Mrs.  Fancher — Wing  chair,  made  in 
England,  125  years  old,  owned  by  Rev. 
Dr.   Mead  of   Norwalk. 

Mrs.    Frank    Evarts — Two    chairs. 

Mrs.    John    Q.    Thayer — One    chair. 

Dr.    E.    A.    Wilson — Large    chair. 

Mrs.  Charles  Merriam — -Chair  given 
to  Merriam  family  by  General  Mans- 
field,  known   to   be   200   vears   old. 

W.  A.  Butler— Chair,  1830. 

E.  C.  Birdsey — Chair  and  straight 
back  chair. 

Mrs.  H.  S.  Savage — Chair  in  Bene- 
dict familv,  130  years  old;  one  100  years 
old. 

Mrs.  Saxton  B.  Little — One  very  old. 

Mrs.  R.   C.  Merriam — One  chair. 

]Mrs.  F.  N.  Hastings — Windsor 
straight   top   chair. 

Miss  Ellen  Hough — Fiddle  back 
chair,  cabriole  leg. 

Horatio  Wilbur — Fiddle  back,  ball  cor- 
nices, splint  seat;  three  slat  back  chairs. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Butler— Windsor  chair, 
spindle  back  and  slat  back  chairs. 

Miss  E.  E.  Boardman — Fiddle  back, 
rush   seat,   cabriole   leg. 

Mrs.  N.  D.  Hosley — Slat  back  rocker. 

Mrs.    A.    Duncan — Five    chairs. 

Mrs.  Erastus  Hubbard — Three  chairs, 
1780-1800. 

Mrs.  Hotchkiss — 150  year  old  chair 
and    rocker    same    age. 

Rev.  J.  T.  Pettee — Mahogany  Chip- 
pendale   chair,    1750. 

.Mrs.  W.  H.  Catlin— Mahogany  Chip- 
pendale chair,  seat  embroidered  bv  Mrs. 
B.    H.   Catlin. 

]Miss  Emma  .\ndrews — Three  rush 
seat  chairs. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


357 


:\rrs.  J.  Q.  Thayer — Shoe  and  stock- 
uig  chair. 

Mrs.  G.  C.  Merriam — Two  rush  seat 
■chairs. 

Miss  Tibbals — Reception   chair. 

Mrs.    H.   M.   Jones — Rocking  chair. 

Benjamin  Collins — Chair  belonged  to 
Dr.   Hough. 

Mrs.  N.  L.  Bradley — Child's  chair, 
used  in  Peck  family;  bannister  back 
•chair,    1730-1740. 

Miss  Kate  H.  Hamlin^Two  white 
chairs. 

T.-XBLES,     STANDS,    DESKS     AND    BUREAUS. 

Mrs.  Frank  Hastings — Mahogany 
stand,  two  drawers,  candle  stand. 

Mrs.  Hobart  Hull — Table  belonged  to 
Rev.    John    Hubbard. 

Mrs.  Erastus  Hubbard — Mahogany 
table,  eight  corners. 

^Irs.  Hotchkiss — Mahogany  table 
■called   Lady  Washington. 

Miss  Dow — Mahogany  table,  called  a 
card   table. 

Miss  Lucy  A.  Peck — Stand,  carved, 
part  of  the  wedding  outfit  of  Mrs.  Sel- 
den  Peck. 

Mrs.  Charles  Yale — Stand. 

John  C.  Byxbee — -Light  stand. 

Mrs.  Charles  Merriam — Table  200 
years  old. 

Mrs.  A.  R.  Boardman — Desk. 

Mrs.  Nathan  Baldwin — Corner  cup- 
board   from    old    hotel. 

Miss  Emma  Andrews — Mahogany  bu- 
reau. 

?*lrs.  A.  B.  Mather— Butterfly  table, 
1700. 

Mrs.  A.  O.  Burt — ^Maple  and  cherry 
high    case    of    drawers. 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Butler— Double  chest  of 
drawers,  1740. 

Eli   C.   Birdsey — Cherrv  lowboy. 

IMrs.   A.    B.   Mather— Lowboy. 

Mrs.    C.    P.    Kimball — Cherry   desk. 

Mrs.   Oliver  Rice — Desk. 

Mrs.  A.  M.  Lewis,  Plantsville — Desk, 
belonged   to   Rev.    John    Hubbard. 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Learned — One  toy  table; 
one  tov  bureau 


Mrs.  A.  Duncan;  two  by  Eli  C.  Bird- 
sey ;  Mrs.  C.  L.  Upham ;  Mr.  Clark. 


Mrs.  Hinsdale  Rice,  Miss  Boardman, 
Mrs.  Rice,  South  Meriden ;  Geo.  M. 
Lucas;  Mrs.  A.  R.  Boardman,  with  pic- 


ture   top ;    Mrs.    Hubbard    Fenn,    clock 
set  in  top. 

CLOCKS. 

Mr.  Clark— Clock  made  by  Twiss; 
John  C.   Byxbee. 

PHOTOGRAPHS,     PICTURES     AND     COATS     OF 
ARMS. 

E.  A.  Boardman— Ambrotype  framed 
of  Judge  Albert  Foster's   familv. 

Dr.  E.  A.  Wilson— Etching  of  Old 
Tomlinson  Bridge  in  New  Haven. 

Miss  Eunice  Fowler— "Theorem," 
painting  by  Mrs.  Daniel  Fowler  when 
15    years    of    age. 

Dr.  N.  Nickerson — Engraving  of 
George  Washington  picked  up  in  the 
ruins  of  the  Confederate  arsenal  at 
Richmond. 

Rev.  J.  T.  Pettee — Crayon  portraits  of 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  T.  Pettee,  30  years 
ago. 

Mrs.  John  Parker — Crayon  portraits 
of  the  Rev.  John  Parker,  taken  at  the 
age  of  80;  Edmund  Parker;  Hon. 
Charles  Parker  while  mayor  of  Meri- 
den ;  Rev.  John  and  Charles  Parker 
with  their  sister,   Betsey  Jeralds. 

Mrs.  Wilbur  B.  Hall— Picture  of  the 
house,  Beckley  Inn  in  Beckley  Quarter, 
one  of  the  trees  planted  by  George 
Washington. 

W.  R.  Smith — Picture  of  the  house 
built  in  Wallingford  by  John  Hall,  fath- 
er of  Gov.  Lyman  Hall,  of  Georgia,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence ;  picture  of  the  Rice  Home- 
stead. 

Eli  C.  Birdsey — Old  water  color  paint- 
ings, supposed  to  be  125  years  old. 

Mrs.  A.  H.  Hall— Photographs  of  the 
Blizzard  1888,  taken  bv  the  late  Rev. 
Alfred  H.   Hall. 

Miss  Lucy  A.  Peck — -Crayon  picture 
by    Miss    Emily    Hart. 

Mrs.  E.  D.  Castelow — Coat  of  Arms 
of  the  Wright  Family  painted  upon 
satin. 

Mrs.  J.  P.  Stevenson — "Urina,"  by 
Nancy  Gaylord,  daughter  of  Dr.  Gay- 
lord,    of    Wallingford. 

Charles  L.  Rockwell — Memorial  Pic- 
ture embroidered  on  white  satin  at  Miss 
Sedgewick's  school  at  Litchfield,  by  Bet- 
sey  Lee,   of   Ridgefield,    Conn. 

S.  B.  Little — Picture  map  drawn  by 
Saxton   B.  Little  at  the  age  of  16. 

SILHOUETTES. 

Eli   C.  Birdsey — Two  framed. 
Mrs.    S.   S.   Clark,   Hingham,  Mass. — 
Late  P.  J.  Clark. 


358 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


Mrs.  Emily  Johnson — Full  length  of 
]\Ii;s.  William  Camp,  mother  of  the  late 
Mrs.   Albert  Foster  and    Nelson   Camp. 

Miss  Emily  Brooks— Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eben    Frisbie,    of    Cheshire. 

Miss  Evmice  Fowler — Mrs.  Lucy  A. 
(Eddy)  Bird,  cousin  of  Mrs.  Charles 
Parker. 

Mrs.  William  B.  Ives — One. 

Mrs.  H.  P.  Stevenson — JNIr.  Israel 
Harrison,    of    Wallingford. 

Miss  Emily  J.  Benham— Mrs.  J.  P. 
Stevenson  (Nancy,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Gaylord). 

!ylrs.   Edward  Yale — One. 

yivs.    Bloomfield — Two. 

^Nlrs.  E.  D.  Castelow— Abigail  Ely 
Wright,  mother  of  Mrs.  E.  D.  Caste- 
low;    Mr.   Dunham. 

Mrs.   L.   F.   Griswold — Two. 

Miss  Kate  H.  Hamlin — One  with  fam- 
ily record. 

Dr.  Steven  Hall,  son  of  Steven  and 
Ruth  Miles  Hall,  of  Wallingford;  Mrs. 
Lucy  (Cook)  Hall,  his  wife,  daughter 
of  Lieutenant  Isaac  Cook,  of  Walling- 
ford. 

Mrs.  C.  L.  RocVwell— Mr.  David  Lee, 
New  York  City,  father  of  Countess  von 
Waldersee. 

PORTRAITS. 

Mrs.  E.  D.  Castelow — -Oil  portrait, 
Mrs.    Abigail    Wright    Smith. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Swan — Two  oil  portraits 
of    Mr.    and    Mrs.    Joel    H.    Guv. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Mansfield— Oil  'portrait 
Dr.  J.  H.  Wilson. 

Miss  Sarah  C.  Churchill,  Berlin, 
Conn — Oil    portrait    two    daughters. 

Miss  Price — Two  oil  portraits  painted 
on   copper. 

Mrs.  LeGrand  Bevins — Gen.  Walter 
Booth. 

Wallingford  Library — Oil  portrait 
Gov.  Lyman  Hall. 

Rev. "J.  T.  Pettee— Oil  portrait  Mr. 
Abel    Clark    and    Mrs.    Clark. 

First  M.  E.  Church— Oil  portrait  Rev. 
John    and    Mrs.    Parker. 

First  National  Bank — Oil  portrait  Mr. 
Joel   II.  Guy. 

Chas.  Hinsdale — Oil  portrait  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    Julius    Pratt. 

Wm.  H.  Catlin— Oil  portrait  Dr.  Benj. 
H.  and  Mrs.  Catlin. 

First  Baptist  Church— Mr.  Harvev 
Miller. 

Miss  Tibbals— Dr.  Hough. 

Mrs.  Henry  Warren — Ashabel  Gris- 
wold. 


Mrs.  Albert  Murray— Buell,  Walling- 
ford. 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Butler— Mr.  and  Mrs.   H. 

C.  Butler  of  Meriden. 

Miss  Lucy  A.  Peck — Sepia  portrait 
Harriet  Peck,  daughter  of  Lemuel  and 
Lydia  Dickinson  Peck,  born  February 
14,  1796,  died  Nov.  11,  1828;  oil  por- 
trait   Sherman    Hooker    Peck. 

•Mrs.  N.  L.  Bradley — Dr.  Cyprian 
Hart,  Berlin,  Conn. ;  Selden  Peck  and 
Mrs.  Selden  Peck,  father  and  mother  of 
Mrs.   N.   L.   Bradley. 

SAMPLERS. 

Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Howell,  Mrs.  S.  M. 
Camp,  Mrs.  L.  F.  Griswold,  Mrs.  Emily 
Johnson,  Miss  Jennie  E.  Wood,  Elmer 
Spencer,  Miss  Eunice  Fowler,  one  made 
by  Miss  Eunice  Eddv,  one  made  by  Mrs. 

D.  B.  Fowler;  Mrs.'C.  E.  Hewitt,  Miss 
Flora  Ray,  two;  Mrs.  Wesley  Brooks, 
two;  Mrs.  M.  K'ngsley,  two;  Mrs.  M. 
Wetmore;  Mr.  Belden;  Mrs.  C.  L.  Rock- 
well, one  made  in  Oa.xaca,  Mexico,  one 
made  by  Mary  Lee  of  Ridgefield,  one 
made  by  Harriet  C.  Lee  of  Guilford ; 
Horatio  Wilbur,  one  made  in  1797;  Mrs. 
Emily  Butler;  Miss  Boardman ;  Mrs. 
N.  D.  Hosley,  one  made  by  Mary  A. 
Coggswell,  1827;  Mrs.  J.  W.  Coe;  Mrs. 
J.  P.  Stevenson,  Wallingford,  one  work- 
ed by  Hannah  Hall,  11  years,  June  23, 
181S:  one  worked  by  Nancy  Gaylord, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Gaylord,  one  worked  by 
M.  H.,  1813;  one  unfinished;  Miss  Mary 
J.  Benham,  one  1S41  ;  Mrs.  William  B. 
Ives ;  Mrs.  C.  F.  Linsley,  one  made  bv 
Elizabeth  Phelps;  Mrs.  Mary  Wilcox, 
one  with  family  record;  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Moshcr;  Mrs.  E.  D.  Castelow,  one 
worked  by  Polly  Dunham,  Berlin;   Mrs. 

E.  D.  Castelow ;  Miss  Lucy  A.  Peck, 
one  worked  by  Lucy  Hart  of  Berlin, 
one  worked  by  Lucv  Hart,  aged  10,  July 
I,  1813;  Miss  E.  E.  Boardman;  Mrs. 
Albert  Babb;  Miss  Rice  of  South  Mer- 
iden. 

COMMISSIONS,     DEEDS     AND    ANCIENT     DOC- 
UMENTSr 

Miss  Lucy  A.  Peck — Three  deeds. 

Mrs.  Erastus  Hubbard — Bundle  of 
deeds  given  by  Lent  Hough ;  account 
book  of  Thomas   Hubbard. 

Mrs.  L.  F.  Griswold — Letter  written 
January    12,    1805. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Rice — Revolutionary  let- 
ters  written  by   Ezekiel  Royce. 

Miss  Hough  and  Miss  Hull — Prelim- 
inaries  in   regard   to   slave  girl. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


359 


IMiss  May  Merriman — Diploma  con- 
ferred bv  Yale  College. 

Winfield  Curtis — Revolutionary  Com- 
mission of  Lieutenant  Abner  Curtis; 
two  commissions  of  the  French  and  In- 
dian War,  signed  by  Thomas  Fitch,_  the 
last  Colonial  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
given  to  Lieut.  Abner  Curtis. 

Eli  C.  Birdsey — Commission  given 
Capt.  Luther  Coe. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Rice — Commission  given 
1730  Ezekiel  Royce. 

Mrs.  Erastus  Hubbard — Revolution- 
ary Commissions  given  to  Lieutenant 
Col.  Thomas   Hubbard. 

Charles  L.  Rockwell — Commissions  to 
Lieut.  James  Rockwell  and  General  En- 
sign   Runa    Rockwell. 

POWDER    HORNS. 

Winfield  Curtis — One  powder  horn 
used  at  Crown   Point  by  Abner   Curtis. 

H.  B.  Willis — One  powder  horn  used 
at  Battle  of  Lexington  by  Caleb  Willis. 

C.  F.  Linsley — One  powder  horn 
marked  B.  P.  used  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

Arthur  Hall — One  powder  horn. 

Miss  Bradley — Horn,  presumably  a 
rum  ho'rn.  used  for  first  aid  to  the  in- 
jured, carried  by  Ezekiel  Royce. 

GUXS. 

Miss  Bradley — One  used  while  giving 
orders  to  an  imaginary  army  along  the 
New  Haven  coast. 

A.  H.  Evarts — One  flint  lock  musket 
and  two  pistols. 

W.  A.  Hall— One  flint  lock  musket. 

Hubbard  Fenn — Flint  lock  gun  and 
gun   with    bayonet    and   pistol. 

Eli  C.  Birdsej^ — Two  flint  lock  mus- 
kets and  old  pistol. 

Mrs.  F.  E.  Hubbard— One  flint  lock 
gun ;  one  concussion  cap  gun,  one  of 
the  first  of  the  kind  made. 

Mrs.  B.  C.  Kennard — Leather  Fire 
Bag,    1810. 

Col.  C.  L.  LTpham — Flint  lock  mus- 
ket; lock  from  Morris  Academy,  Litch- 
field, the  first  institution  of  the  kind  in 
Connecticut. 

MISCELL.\NE0US. 

Emma  Andrews — Shell  comb,  bead 
bag.  two  pair  undersleeves,  collar  em- 
broidered, collar  and  cuffs,  bureau  ma- 
hogany. 

Mrs.  Erastus  Hubbard — Brass  candle- 
stick ,1816;  two  spoons  made  from  shoe 
and    knee    buckles    of    the    First    Con- 


gregational minister;  Thomas  Hubbard 
account  books,  1812;  a  China  pepper 
box;  a  lather  cup;  1775  sugar  bowl 
which  was  on  the  tea  table  at  a  party 
when  the  British  invaded  the  harbor  of 
New  London;  Benjamin  Franklin's  sug- 
ar bowl ;  snuffers  and  tray,  iron  can- 
dlestick wifh  lip ;  mortar  and  pestle ; 
w'heel  sticks;  pair  tongs,  100  years  old; 
bead  bag;  tin  candlesticks  with  extin- 
guisher; an  army  knife  taken  from  a 
Confederate  soldier ;  ancient  baskets ; 
counterpane. 

Mrs.  Chas.  Yale— Old  books,  1691- 
1794;  CTti)e  shawl;  candelabra;  silver 
comb ;   knitting  sheath ;   stand. 

Miss  Bradley — Shoes  made  in  1847 
by  Chas.  Harleton  for  his  daughter  Ab- 
igail's christening;  doll  bought  at  the 
first  fair  held  by  St.  Andrew's  church; 
old  comb  made  in  the  old  comb  shop. 

Miss  Fanny  Hall — Pair  of  brass  can- 
dlesticks   with    extinguishers. 

Mr.  Obst — Centennial  flag  made  in 
1876;  German  pewter  lamp  made  for 
whale  oil ;  lantern  made  for  whale  oil ; 
match  safe  cut  from  stone ;  case  of  min- 
erals; case  of  copper  coins;  Revolution- 
ary powder  flask;  one  Wedgwood  vase; 
known  to  be  over  100  years  old ;  one 
ruby   vase;    two    Egyptian    vases. 

Mrs.  Hotchkiss — Counterpane;  lace 
veil ;  caps,  china  plates ;  piece  of  paper 
money  1779,  hand  bag;  singing  books; 
tobacco  box  made  by  Ladives  Hotchkiss* 
140  years  ago ;  stand'  spread  ;  Lidian  rel- 
ics. 

Mrs.  Bloomfield — Candelabra;  copy  of 
the  first  Hartford  Courant ;  old  jew- 
elry; baby  dress:  lace  collar;  feather 
fan  ;  bellows. 

Mrs.  Brown — Clock  made  in  the  black 
forest  of  Germany.  1720;  an  original 
Willard  clock;  a  soup  tureen  bought 
about  the  time  of  Revolutionary  war ; 
two  blue  platters ;  one  willow  a  hun- 
dred years  old ;  blue  and  white  and  a 
brown  cover  lid ;  Japanese  fan ;  tea  pot 
and  five  cups  and  saucers,  green;  pair 
of  wooden  shoes  from  Holland;  drum 
that  went  through  the  Mexican  war; 
breast  pin.^ 

A.  P.  Hall — Three  table  cloths,  home 
spun  and  woven ;  woolen  sheet ;  head 
bag:  counterpane;  blue  and  white  cov- 
erlid; tea  cups  and  tea  pot  for  child, 
bought  in  1807;  hetchel  for  flax. 

William  Bannister — Andirons  and 
bellows. 

Mrs.  A.  E.  Castelow — Ginger  jar; 
toddy  spoon ;   pair  blue  and   white   cur- 


360 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MEKIDEX. 


tains;  towel;  tortoise  sliell  plate;  wine 
glass ;    wooden    bowl ;    back    comb. 

Lester  W.  Smith — Razor  in  wooden 
case,  100  years  old;  picture  pioneer 
camp,  Second  brigade.  Third  Division, 
Second  corps,  12x14;  picture.  Winter 
Quarters,  Stony  Mountain,  Virginia, 
Second  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Sec- 
ond Corps,  16x20,  sketched  by  G.  W. 
Hill,  member   of   Company  G. 

F.  L.  Lewis — Piece  of  a  diamond 
ledge  secured  from  South  Africa  about 
i«45- 

Mrs.  F.  E.  Hubbard— Flint  lock  gun, 
concussion  cap  gun,  one  of  the  first  of 
tl:e   kind   made. 

Jesse  Sands — Pair  blue  curtains,  old 
weave;  picture,  Robert  Coe's  English 
Residence ;  typewritten  list  of  the  first 
settled  churches  in  Connecticut;  sever- 
al family  Coats  of  Arms;  commission 
■chart,  signed  by  Gen.  John  Winthrop; 
pair  whale  oil  parlor  lamps,  blue  and 
white. 

Mrs.  Frank  Sands— Tall  vase,  cab- 
iioet  chest,  old  fashioned  coffee  urn. 

Mrs.  Garry  Bloomfield— Pair  blue 
curtains,    100    years    old. 

Mrs.  Mausey — Snuff  box,  130  years 
old ;    ink   stand,   200  years  old. 

Horatio  Wilbur — Almanacs  1762-1799; 
Vindication  of  the  Eternal  Law  and 
Everlasting  Gospel,  1707;  Gentlemen's 
.magazine ;  wood  from  Nathan  Elale 
school  house  in  East  Haven ;  hat  shield 
cockade,  7th  company,  Fifth  •  Regiment, 
War  1812;  sampler,  1797;  old  crepe 
shawl ;  cane  turned  from  wood  in  First 
Congregational  church,  Middletown, 
])uilt  1749;  clothespin  made  by  hand. 

Mrs.  John  H.  Butler — Major  Cowles' 
sword  case. 

N.  U.  Beckwith — Corset,  I25_  years 
old;  stone  mortar  with  pestle;  tin  lan- 
tern, 100  years  old ;  brown  and  white 
counterpane. 

Mrs.  H.  S.  Savage — Chain  in  the  Ben- 
edict Arnold  family  130  years;  plate 
with  picture  of  victory  of  Commodore 
MacDonald  of  Middletown;  salt  cellar 
made   in   1700. 

Mrs.  L.  F.  Griswold — Pipe  made  out 
of  stone,  260  years  ago,  by  a  Pequot  In- 
dian,  flip  glass  and  pitcher. 

Mrs.  R.  C.  Merriam — ^Eight  teaspoons, 
■cream  ladle,  two  table  spoons,  two  small 
vases,  one  vase,  one  sugar  bowl. 

Nathan  Baldwin — Bead  bag;  band- 
Iwx;  carpet  bag;  old  lace;  tea  pot,  1787; 
vest;  kerchiefs;  candle  moulds;  corner 
«c'.ip1ioard. 


Mrs.  F.  T.  Ives — Two  waists  (colo- 
nial) ;   cloak    (colonial). 

Miss  Mary  Brooks — Flowing  blue 
plate,  flowers  and  fruit,  95  years  old ; 
cup,  saucers  and  plate,  mulberry,  80 
years  old ;  two  bronze  lustre  drinking 
cups,  86  years  old ;  Henry  Clay  sauce 
plate  (glass),  57  years  old;  flowing 
blue  sugar  bowl,   no  years  old. 

-)Mrs.  John  Davis — Iron  candlestick, 
100  years  old;  two  fluid  lamps,  70 
years   old. 

Lucy  Belden — Feather  sleeve  cape,  73 
years  old;  wedding  vest,  67  years  old; 
pair  silver  knee  buckles,  200  years  old. 

Mrs.  John  Parker — Pair  of  tongs; 
three  brown  plates,  100  years  old;  soup 
tureen  and  ladle,  100  years  old ;  brown 
vegetable    dish,    100   years    old. 

Mrs  .Higby — Tall  punch  glass,  three 
light  blue  plates;  light  blue  teapot;  two 
dark  blue  plates;  three  light  mulberry 
plates ;    white    teapot,    flowered. 

Frank  Ekmark — Cup  made  in  Swe- 
den. 

R.  M.  Breckenridge — Cap,  epaulets 
and  belt  worn  by  R.  Moss  Brecken- 
ridge, when  a  member  of  the  Horse 
Guard  before  the  Civil  war;  foot  stove, 
over  100  years  old ;  piece  of  British 
ship  Somerset,  third  in  line  that  landed 
troops  at  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June 
i7>   177s;    stone  hatchet. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Rice — Pincushion  made 
from  bridal  dress  of  the  first  pastor's 
wife,  Mrs.  Theophilus  Hall,  woven  in 
1721,  now  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
years   old.     Verses   attached. 

Mrs.  Hinsdale  Rice — Looking  glass. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Catlin— Piece_  of 
Mrs.  Rev.  Theophilus  Hall's  wedding 
dress;  fluid  lamps  used  after  whale  oil 
became  too  costly ;  five  shawls ;  two 
hand-made  lace  caps ;  silk  cape  covered 
with  milk-weed  down,  made  by  Mrs. 
Doctor  Catlin;  Mrs.  Doctor  B.  H.  Cat- 
lin's  wedding  dress;  Doctor  B.  H.  Cat- 
lins  wedding  vest;  sewing  bird  manu- 
factured in  Meriden ;  spool  holder;  sil- 
ver spectacles,  extension  bows ;  pocket 
ink  stand  and  quill  pen ;  musket,  hav- 
ersack, knapsack  and  canteen  carried 
by  W.  H.  Catlin  in  the  Civil  war;  two 
turnkeys  for  pulling  teeth  used  by  Dr. 
B.  H.  Catlin ;  plug  tobacco,  taken  in 
exchange  from  rebel  pickets,  1863,  W. 
H.  Catlin ;  birch  swab  for  "dipping 
snuff";  quilted  petticoat;  Chippendale 
chair  seat  worked  by  W.  H.  Catlin's 
mother. 

W.   H.  Catlin— Old  crockerv. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


3OI 


Mrs.  Edward  H.  Yale— Mortar  and 
pestle  used  by  Dr.  Theophilus  Hall, 
grandson  of  the  first  minister  in  Mer- 
iden ;  long  handled  waffle  iron ;  two 
silk  waists  made  from  the  wedding  dress 
of  Mrs.  Harvey  Miller. 

Mrs.  Charles  A.  Miller — Infant  caps, 
worn ,  by  Mrs.  Deacon  John  Yale  in 
1808,  also  worn  by  wife  of  Mrs.  Har- 
vey Miller  when  a  baby ;  lace  veil ;  high 
bac':  comb,  old  quilt. 

Miss  Abby  Ann  Bradley — Bible  car- 
ried by  Ezekiel  Royce  I  through 
French  and  Indian  War;  horn,  presum- 
ably for  rum,  "first  aid  to  the  injured," 
carried  by  said  Ezekiel  Royce. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Rice — Copy  of  Blue 
Law.s   of   Connecticut. 

Mrs.  E.  W.  Smith— Quilt,  dating  back 
to   Revolutionary   War. 

Mrs.  A.  O.  Burt — Shawl,  property  of 
Mrs.  Armenia  Pepper,  80  years  old; 
linen  pieces,  fla.x  raised,  spun  and  woven 
b)y  Armenia  Pepper's  mother,  100  years 
old :  black  veil,  property  of  Armenia 
Pepper,  75  years  old ;  blue  willow  ware 
platter,  property  of  Diana  Jopson,  75 
years  old. 

Geo.  M.  Lucas — Collection  fractional 
currency;    small   mirror. 

Miss  Kate  Howell  Hamlin — A  small 
brooch;  long  shawl;  three  china  teapots; 
china  cup  and  saucer;  two  bead  bags; 
china   pickle   leaf,    Staffordshire.. 

Mrs.  Baldwin — Black  plate,  Catskill 
Mt.  House;  cup,  plate,  mulberry;  case 
bottles;  large  brown  bottles;  large  blue 
edged  platter ;  black  teapot ;  wooden 
comb  made  in  Meriden. 

Mrs.  C.  T.  Dodd — Set  of  silver; 
warming  pan;  quadruped  plate;  cad- 
nius    gravy    boat. 

Mrs.  N.  L.  Bradley— Ruth  Hart's 
needle  book ;  two  samples  of  fabric  from 
which  the  Sandwich  Island  natives 
made  their  dresses ;  cup  and  saucer, 
wedding  china  of  Mrs.  Levi  Bradley; 
cup  and  saucer,  wedding  china  of  Mrs. 
Selden  Peck;  custard  cup;  cup,  plate; 
bed  quilt  pieced  by  N.  L.  Bradley  and 
his  sister,  Abby  Bradley,  10  and  7  years 
of  age. 

Miss  Lucy  Peck — Snufif  box  brought 
from  Honolulu,  S.  I.,  about  1830;  Gen. 
Selah  Hart's  vest;  tiger  dish;  carved 
stand,  piece  of  Mrs.  Selden  Peck's  wed- 
ding furniture;  one  pewter  dish;  old 
deeds. 

Mrs.    Oliver    Swan — "Little    Reader." 

John  C.  Byxbee— Tall  clock;  light 
stand ;    large    blue    platter. 


Mrs.  A.  R.  Boardman — Pewter  plate; 
embroidery;    brass    candlestick. 

Albert  Wilcox — Paper  on  "Early 
Houses  and  Buildings  on  Colony 
Street"' ;  "Old  Buildings  on  Britannia 
Street" ;  Meriden  Directory  for  1849 ; 
"Boston  News  Letter,"  Apr.  17-24,  1704"; 
Supplement  to  the  "Conn.  Courant," 
1836;  Amos  White's  account  book, 
1776-1780;  daguerreotype  of  Henry  T. 
Wilcox ;  daguerreotype  of  Elizabeth 
White  Wilcox  (Mrs.  Henry  T.  Wil- 
cox), granddaughter  of  Amos  White; 
daguerreotype  of  Eleazer  Scovil,  b.  1780, 
d.  1868.  father  of  Mrs.  H.  T.  Wilcox; 
mantel  clock  set  up,  showing  wooden 
works ;  ancient  gridiron  (very  rusty)  ; 
Views  of  Meriden  framed ;  facsimile 
of  pen  and  ink  draft  of  proclamation  of 
Abraham   Lincoln   freeing   slaves. 

Miss  Jennie  Wood — Green  silk  calash. 

Mrs.  Harry  T.  King — One  Hundred 
and  Ninety  Sermons  on  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Nineteenth  Psalm,  by  Rev. 
Thos.  Manton,  D.  D.,  1680;  small  look- 
ing glass ;  pictures  of  the  Caspar  Hall 
place.  East  Meriden;  crewel  work  pic- 
ture; mahogany  work  stand;  cherry  ta- 
be ;   candle  stand. 

Mrs.  J.  Q.  Thayer — Ancient  scissors; 
hair  wreath;  bead  purse;  small  satin 
shawl ;  shell  comb  and  side  combs ;  em- 
broidery ;  ancient  spoon  for  measuring 
tea;  wedding  ring.  1758;  wedding  ring, 
1820. 

Mrs.  Wm.  J.  Roberts,  Hartford— Sec- 
retary. 

Henry  Beach — Large  mahogany  sofa. 
Mrs.    E.    A.    Wilson — Large    lacquer 

tray. 

Mrs.   C.   S.   Perkins — Small  pitcher. 

Elmer  Spencer — Bead  purse ;  and- 
irons,   warming    pan. 

Mrs.  Clive — Umbrella,  whalebone 
frame. 

Mrs.  Leverett  Stocking — Counterpane. 

Mrs.  Emily  Johnson — ^Warming  pan; 
foot  stove;  snuffers;  silver  candle- 
sticks ;  candle  moulds ;  spinning  wheel ; 
"The  British  Carpenter,  a  Treatise  on 
Carpentery,"  1768;  "Zion's  Harp,"  1813; 
doll  mittens. 

E.  A.  Boardman — "A  Monument  of 
Parental  Affection  or  the  Christian's 
Triumph  Over  Death,"  1814;  "Elements 
of  Useful  Knowledge,"  1806  (just  100 
years  ago)  ;  Reward  of  merit  given  to 
E.   A.   Boardman. 

Nelson  Johnson — "Pocket  Chronolog- 
ical  Directory,"    1817. 


362 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Mrs.  Sherman  Johnson — Fox's  Book 
of  Martyrs;    Pair  of  snuffers  and  tray. 

Mrs.  j.  M.  Harmon — Lot  of  pewter 
doll  dishes;  lead  ink  well,  lead  image; 
two  bead  bags. 

Mrs.  G.  H.  Wilson — Silver  teaspoon 
150  years  old ;   wedding  stockings. 

Mrs.  Emily  Johnson — Dr.  Hough's 
(Isaac)   chair. 

Miss  Blanche  Paddock — Handsome 
looking  glass,    100  years  old. 

Mrs.  W.  L.  Home — Black  lace  shawl ; 
black  lace  fan ;  Spanish  lace  scarf ; 
thread  lace  fully  no  years  old;  hand- 
kerchief made  by  the  Misses  Kenmara, 
Ireland. 

Miss  Eunice  Fowler — Carpet  bag 
made  by  Jedediah  Wilcox  Co.,  be- 
twen   1848-58. 


Mrs.  C.  E.  Hewitt — Bead  purse  made 
in  Germany;  bed  spread  (very  hand- 
some) ;  two  blue  plates;  epaulet  from 
uniform  of  her  grandfather  worn 
when    British    entered    Stonington    1812. 

Mrs.  A.  A.  May — Uniform  worn  dur- 
ing Civil  war. 

Mrs.  Arnold — Snuff  box,  belonged  to 
George  Butler,  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  black  lace- 
veil  over  100  years  old ;  button  on  wed- 
ding gown  of  mother  of  Elihu  Burritt, 
1796;  snuff  box  carried  through  Revolu- 
tionary war ;  card  case  brought  over  at 
same  time ;  chenille  scarf  made  in  1787 
and  one  made  in  1812;  hand  embroid- 
ered handkerchief,  1840;  lace  collar, 
1812. 

Mrs.  T.  S.  Alexander — Account  book 
1701;    Watt's   Hymns,   1807. 


COLLECTION   LOANED   BY   GEORGE   M.   CURTIS. 


STAFFORDSHIRE   WARE. 

Plate,  brown,  with  view  of  Monte 
Video,   near    Hartford. 

Plate,  brown,  with  view  of  Hartford. 

Plate,  bhie.  with  view  near  Philadel- 
phia. 

Plate,  blue, -with  view  of  Moulin-Sur- 
la-Marne. 

Plate,  blue,  with  view  of  City  Hall, 
New  York. 

Plate,  blue,  with  view  of  Landing  of 
the   Pilgrims. 

Large  platter,  blue,  portrait  of  Wash- 
ington,  etc.,   known   as   States  platter. 

Perforated   Willow   bowl   and  platter. 

Statuette,    Romeo    and    Juliet. 

Statuette,    Highlander. 

Castleferd  tea  pot. 

Lowestoft   bowl. 

Copper  lustre  tea  pot. 

Silver  lustre  creamer  and  sugar. 

Copper  lustre  jug. 

Silver  tea  pot,  hall  marked ;  time  of 
George  HI. 

Silver  salt  cellar,  hall  marked ;  time 
of    George    III. 

Silver  cow  creamer,  hall  marked ; 
time  of   George   III. 

Silver  spoon ;  so-called  "Rat  Tailed" 
pattern ;    Colonial   period. 

Silver  shoe  and  knee  buckles ;  Revo- 
lutionary  period. 

Ancient  horn  mounted  spectacles  and 
case. 

Ancient  watch  ;  aljout  1750. 


Ivory  snuff  box,  with  miniature. 

Old    French   ivory   pocket   sun   dial. 

.\ncient  tea    caddy ;    mahogany. 

Ancient  ear    trumpet. 

Ancient  glass    bottle. 

Ancient  pewter  bowl   and   spoon. 

Ancient  ivory  patch  box ;  gold 
mounted,   containing   lock   of   hair. 

Ancient  miniature,  mounted  in  gold, 
with  lock  of  hair  woven  in;  time  of 
Revolutionary   period. 

.A.ncient  sampler,  embroidered  by  Ma- 
ria Curtis. 

Ancient  Chippendale  chair ;  time 
T740-1750;  upholstered  with  old  Flem- 
ish tapestry. 

Ancient  Dutch  chair;  rush  bottom; 
time   1750-1760. 

Loomis   shelf  clock. 

Shaving  desk  and  glass ;  once  owned 
])y    Kitz-Greene    Halleck. 

AUTOGRAPH   LETTERS. 

Wm.  Ledyard,  hero  of  Fort  Gris- 
wold   massacre ;    dated   1773. 

Jonathan  Belcher,  governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts ;   dated   1734. 

Gov.  Jonathan  Trumbull,  of  Connec- 
ticut;   dated    1777. 

Letter  and  Portrait  of  John  Trurn- 
bull.    painter    of    Washington's    portrait. 

Capt.  Samuel  Mason  to  Elizabeth 
Hallam  of  New  London ;  letter  was 
carried  to  Mrs.  Mallam  by  Oweneco, 
son  of  Uncas,  as  appears  by  direction 
of  Mason,  inscribed  on  letter ;  dated 
1704. 


CliXTKN.MAL    OF    MKKIDEN. 


363 


Chas.   Dickens. 

Commission  of  Wm.  Tryon,  as  colo- 
nel ;  signed  by  George  III ;  Tryon  was 
governor  of  New  York,  and  had  charge 
of  the  British  invasion  of  New  Haven 
in  "1779- 

Book  plate  of  Andrew  Belcher,  fath- 
er of   Governor   Belcher. 

Book  plate  of  Andrew   Belcher,  Jr. 

Portrait  of  Gov.   Jonathan   Belcher. 

Old  colored  print  of  New  Haven 
green,  showing  churches  and  State 
house. 

Engraved  portrait  of  General  Wash- 
ington,   published    in    Paris   about    1786. 

Engraved  portrait  of  General  Wash- 
ington,   about    1800. 

Engraved  portrait  of  General  Wash- 
ington,   by    James    Heath. 

BOOKS    AND    PAMPHLETS. 

Camden's  Britannia,  published  in 
1695,  containing  autograph  of  Timothy 
Cutler,  president  of  Yale  college  in 
1722,  afterwards  first  rector  of  the  old 
North  church  in  Boston ;  and  also  the 
autographs  of  Thomas  Newton  (prose- 
cuting attorney  in  the  Salem  witch- 
craft trials)  and  Mather  Byles,  the 
noted  Congregational  divine  of  a  some- 
what later  period. 

Vade  Mecum,  or  collection  of  texts 
for  sermons,  published  in  1647,  and 
once    the    property    of    Rev.     Eliphalet 


Adams,  pastor  of  the  church  in  New 
London  in  the  middle  of  the  eight- 
eenth centur}- ;  his  name  inscribed  on 
fly  leaf. 

Acts  and  Laws  of  his  Majesty's  Col- 
on}' of  Connecticut;   1750. 

Rev.  Jas.  Dana's  Century  Sermon, 
delivered   in  Wallingford,   1770. 

Rev.  Theophilus  Hall's  sernion  on 
Eaith    .delivered    in    ]\'Ieriden,    1761. 

Eight  almanacs,  ranging  in  dates 
from    1758-1771. 

President  Ezra  Stiles'  History  of  the 
Three  Judges,  published  1794. 

So  called  "Breeches  Bible,"  published 
in    1599. 

Manuscript  on  vellum  of  the  four- 
teenth century;  Missal  or  Mass  book; 
the  work  of  a  French  monk,  and  il- 
luminated in  gold  and  colors,  and  with 
twenty-four  miniatures  of  sacred  sub- 
jects. 

Manuscript  on  vellum ;  fifteenth  cen- 
tury; Missal  or  Mass  book;  the  work 
of  a  French  monk  and  illuminated  in 
gold   and   colors. 

Bishop  Berkeley's  "Theory  of  Vis- 
ion," presented  by  him  to  Rev.  Samuel 
Johnson  of  Stratford,  and  afterwards 
owned  by  his  son,  Wm.  Samuel  John- 
son, president  of  King's  (now  Colum- 
bia) college,  and  first  United  States 
senator  from  Connecticut ;  contains  the 
l)ook    plate    of    the    latter. 


<64 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


Old  Home  Week  Visitors 


Among  the  thousands  who  visited 
Meriden  during  Centennial  week  the 
daily  papers  made  mention  of  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Harry  Randall,  who  was  in  town  for 
the  week,  visiting  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Benzinger,  of  Pratt  street,  is  re- 
membered as  the  little  bellboy  at  the 
Winthrop  and  also  as  the  mascot  of 
famous  Black  Skulls,  when  they  used 
to  win  the  big  masquerade  prizes,  given 
by  the  Turners  and  the  Y  .G.  A.  A. 
He  has  for  some  time  been  connected 
with  the  King's  County  hotel  at  19 
Broadway,  Brooklyn.  In  a  recent  issue 
of  the  New  York  Daily  News  his  cut 
appeared  and  with  it  the  following  in- 
scription :  "President  of  the  New  York 
branch  of  the  natives  of  Meriden, 
Conn.  Meriden  celebrates  its  looth 
anniversary  in  June  and  Mr.  Randall 
is  arranging  for  a  trip  of  the  many 
natives  of  that  thriving  city-  who  now 
reside  in  New  York,  'back  to  the  old 
home'  to  participate  in  the  observance 
which    will    occupy    a    week." 

John  J.  Kavanaugh,  of  New  York 
city,  a  former  Meriden  young  man, 
spent  the  week  with  his  mother,  Mrs. 
Ann    Kavanaugh,    of    Goodwill    avenue. 

Miss  Alice  McCormack.  of  Bridge- 
port, was  the  guest  of  Meriden  relatives 
during   Centennial   week. 

]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  P.  Stevenson,  of 
Pittsfield.  Mass.,  were  home  week  vis- 
itors of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  mother.  Mrs. 
Charles  Schweiger,   160  Cook  avenue. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Hart,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  O.  May,  of  Clinton, 
Mass.,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  Hart, 
of  Talcottville,  Conn.,  and  the  Misses 
Nellie  and  Susan  Ross,  of  Firthcliffe, 
New  York,  were  guests  of  Mr.  and 
Mr.s.  James  Hart  of  Liberty  street  ex- 
tension. 

John  M.  Sweeney  and  Edward  Calla- 
han, of  Brooklyn,  were  guests  of  Mer- 
iden  relatives. 


Miss  Anna  Hill,  of  Jersey  City,  N. 
J.,  was  the  guest  of  her  cousin,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Fowler,  of  North  Colony 
street. 

Mrs.  William  Cahill,  of  Hartford, 
formerly  of  Meriden,  spent  the  week 
in   the   city. 

Miss  Nellie  Lynch,  of  Middletown- 
visited  her  cousins,  the  Misses  Cahill, 
of  Lewis  avenue. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Barnes,  of  Bris- 
tol, were  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ed- 
ward   Kraemer,    of    Center    street. 

William  Ford,  of  New  York  city,  a 
former  Meriden  resident,  visited  his 
brother,   A.  J.   Ford,   of   Pratt   street. 

Miss  Anna  Kelly-  of  Waterbury, 
spent  the  week  at  her  home  on  North 
Third    street. 

Mrs.  Richard  Carroll,  of  Springfield, 
Mass.,   was  a  visitor. 

Miss  Cora  Mitchell,  of  Milford,  was 
the  guest  of  the  Misses  Powers  of 
Pratt    street. 

Miss  Sarah  Welch  of  Worcester, 
Mass.,  was  the  guest  of  her  Meriden 
relatives. 

Mrs.  Charlotte  Wessels,  of  JerTey 
City,  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
F.   J.   Hall,   of  Crown  street. 

Miss  Williams,  of  New  Haven,  vis- 
ited Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Pritchard,  of 
South    avenue. 

D.  Youngholm  and  E.  Stremlau,  of 
Arlington,  N.  J.,  and  F.  Stremlau,  of 
New  Haven,  were  guests  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  C.  Stremlau,  9  Gladwin  place, 
for  Centennial  week. 

John  Riggs,  of  Seymour,  Conn.,  was 
the  guest  of  F.  R.  Storms,  of  Grave- 
line    avenue. 

May  A.  Brielman,  Pittsfield,  Mass., 
visited  Miss  Mazie  Carroll,  Southing- 
ton  avenue. 

Mrs.  Mary  F.  Stevens,, of  Guilford, 
visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  Jl.  Stevens. 


CEXTENNIAL    OF    MER'DEX. 


36- 


Mrs.  L.  V.  Gaylord,  of  Bnanford,  vis- 
ited Mrs.  B.  F.  'Pomero}^  also  Mr.  and 
Miss  Daily  of  New  York  city,  visited 
Mrs.    B.    F.    Pomeroy. 

Mrs.  S.  F.  Smith,  of  New  York  city 
visited  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A. 
Neuber,  of  Cherry  street. 

E.  J.  Higby,  of  Derby,  was  in  town 
Thursday  to  attend  the  Centennial  cel- 
ebration. Mr.  Higby  is  traveling  for  a 
hardware    firm   of   that   place. 

Miss  Caroline  C.  Leete,  of  East  Riv- 
er, visited  William  H.  Harvey,  of  iii 
Crown    street. 

Misses  Cora  and  Rebecca  Charest-  of 
Waterbury,  visited  Miss  Elphidia 
Charest,  of  Camp  place. 

Miss  Ella  L.  Mautte  visited  Mrs.  F. 
R.    Bowen,    of    Olive    street. 

George  M.  Pratt  and  son,  of  Middle- 
town,  visited  Mr.  Pratt's  sister,  Mrs. 
Eliza   Bowen,   of   173    Crown   street. 

Misses  Lillian  and  Fannie  Clark  vis- 
ited their  aunt,  Mrs.  F.  R.  Bowen. 

William  G.  Schanz  and  daughters,  Ida 
and  Minna,  of  Rockville,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  J.  Lewis  of  Hartford,  visited  the 
Misses   Pickhardt-  of   State  street. 

Mrs.  J.  Snyder,  the  Misses  Mary  and 
Flora  Snyder,  01  Rockville,  and  Mas- 
ter F.  Masse,  of  Black  Rock,  were 
guests  of  Misses  Pickhardt,  State 
street.  • 

Mrs.  Gowan  and  Miss  Frieda  Roloff, 
of  Hartford,  stayed  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
A.    E.    Ebert    of    Akron    street. 

Harold  Alexander  had  as  his  guests 
Thursday,  William  and  Jessie  Hilditch, 
Ernestine  Chouinard  and  Ida  Patter- 
son,   all    of    Thompsonville. 

Hon.  John  S.  Cheney  of  Manchester, 
was  the  guest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred- 
erick   W.    Wakefield. 

Eldridge  Feree  and  son,  Franklin,  of 
Middletown,  were  guests  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    C.    L.    Johnson,   of   Crown    street. 

Miss  Arlan  Scott  of  Boston  and  Cor- 
nelius C.  Gardner  of  New  York,  were 
guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Gardner. 

Mrs.  P.  J.  Concannon  and  daughter, 
Mrs.  Leonard  Currier,  of  New  Haven, 
former  Meriden  residents,  were  among 
the  visitors  Thursday. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Waldron  and 
family  of  Brooklyn,  formerly  of  the 
WaldroH  house,  were  the  guests  of  Ben- 
jamin Wilkinson,  of  Wood  street,  for 
the  week. 


John     A.   McCormack,  of     Stamford, 
spent  Centennial  week  with  his  Meriden " 
friends. 

Miss  Cora  Loomis,  a  teacher  from 
Spring  Citj^  Pa.,  and  Miss  Eleanor 
Loomis,  of  Westchester,  Pa.,  were 
guests  of  Rev.   and  Mrs.   A.   E.   Harris. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  McMahon,  of 
Torrington,  former  residents  of  this 
city,   were  visitig  here. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Dunlop  and  two 
children,  Kenneth  and  Geraldine,  of 
Hartford,  were  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  Dunlop,  of  Elm  street. 

J.  C.  Stillman,  of  Newburg,  N.  Y.. 
visited  Mrs.  Aubrey,  of  102  Crown 
stret,   druing   centennial   week. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  J.  Walsh  and  little 
daughter,  of  Hartford,  spent  the  week 
with  Mr.  Walsh's  mother  on  Swain 
avenue. 

Rev.  E.  W.  Husted,  of  Tarrytown, 
N.  Y..  former  pastor  of  the  Main  street 
Baptist  church,  visited  friends  on  Chest- 
nut  street. 

Miss  Eva  Cadorette,  of  Turners' 
Falls,  Mass.,  and  Miss  Stella  Dauphin- 
ais,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.,  were  the  guests 
of  Mrs.  Edward  Hart,  31  North  First 
street,   during  the   festival  week. 

Thomas  Macy,  of  Greeley-  Col.,  a 
brother  of  Miss  Anna  Macy,  was  the 
guest  of  H.  A.  Curtiss. 

Mrs.  S.  E.  Parshlev,  of  Middletown; 
Mrs.  Chas.  R.  Fowler,  of  Westfield, 
Mass.;  Mrs.  J.  A.  Gaylord,  of  Hadley. 
Mass. ;  and  Miss  Mary  Miller,  of  South 
Hadlev,  Mass.,  spent  the  week  witli 
Mrs.  i.  O.  Ives. 

Miss  Sarah  Saunders-  of  New  Haven, 
visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  Strauss,  of 
Lewis  avenue. 

Miss  Hattie  Lockrow,  of  Lynn,  Mass., 
spent  the  week  with  her  mother,  ]\lrs. 
M.  J.  Lockrow,  Hanover  street. 

Mrs.  Charles  Hickox,  of  Hartford, 
spent  the  week  with  friends  on  Gold 
street. 

Arthur  L.  Bradley,  a  former  resident 
of  this  city,  was  the  guest  of  friends 
Monday,  taking  a  part  in  the  parade. 

Mrs.  Charles  Beyerle,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  visited  her  father,  Fred  Monck- 
meyer,  on  Crown  street. 

Miss  Margaret  Schafmeister.  of 
Ossining,  N.  Y.,  a  former  Kensington 
avenue  resident,  was  the  guest  of  !Mer- 
iden    friends. 


s66 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  T.  Doolittle,  of  New 
Haven,  were  greatly  pleased  with  the 
parade. 

Charles  Collins  looked  and  played 
well  in  Hatch's  band.  Mr.  Collins  is  a 
former  Meridenite  and  learned  his  trade 
in  Rogers'  shop. 

Mrs.  Charles  Fyfe  came  down  from 
Toronto,  Ont.,  to  take  in  the  sights. 

John  S.  Lewis,  a  former  resident, 
came  up  from  the  shore  to  play  with 
the  Military  band.  All  the  local  mu- 
sicians managed  to  shake  hands  witli 
the  trombonist. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  S.  Kellogg  and 
children,  of  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  were  in 
town  over  the  Centennial.  Mr.  Kellogg 
is  connected  with  the  John  Hancock 
Life  Insurance  Co.  as  assistant  super- 
intendent in  that  place. 

Mrs.  E.  Heuer  of  Houston,  Texas, 
was  in  town  for  the  Centennial. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Makland  Skidgell, 
of  Hartford'  with  their  son,  Thornton, 
spent  the  week  with  friends. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Loy,  of  Ilion,  N.  Y., 
spent  her  vacation  with  her  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jefferson  Lawrence,  of 
103  View  street. 

T.  J.  Ware,  of  Vineland,  N.  J.,  en- 
joyed the  Centennial  with  R.  B.  Ware 
and  family  of  Murray  street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  F.  Ross  and  son 
Robert,  of  Torrington-  Conn.,  were  the 
guests  of  Mrs.  F.  P.  Hayes  and  son  of 
New  Hanover  avenue.  Mr.  Ross  is  a 
veteran  of  the  civil  war  and  a  former 
resident  of  South   Meriden. 

Dr.  F.  B.  Otis  and  his  mother,  Mrs. 
M.  E.  Otis,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y..  Mrs. 
F  M.  Sanford  and  Miss  Kate  Sanford, 
of  Torrington,  were  guests  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  H.  G.  Morse-  of  Linsley  avenue 
during    the    Centennial. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  B.  Bedell  and  Mrs. 
]\Iary  Russell,  of  New  Haven,  were 
guests  of  Mrs.  M.  J.  Cullen,  of  Twiss 
street. 

John  E.  Somers  and  family,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  reached  Meriden  on  Wednes- 
day, and  enjoyed  the  remainder  of  the 
Centennial.  Mr.  Somers  looks  little 
older  than  when  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Meriden  police  force  quite  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago,  or  later,  when  he 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  the  suc- 
cessful firm  of  Little.  Somers  &  Hyatt. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  .Albert  Hems,  of  Wal- 
lingford,   visited    with    Mrs.    Hem's    pa- 


rents,   198  'Pra.n  street,  during  Centen- 
nial  week. 

Captain  George  Hyland,  of  Indian 
Neck,  arrived  Wednesday  to  spend  a 
couple  of  days. 

Miss  Albina  Osborn,  of  Danbury,  vis- 
ited Mr.   and   Mrs.  Richards. 

Mrs.  Van  Wort,  of  Boston,  visited 
her   daughter,   Mrs.   W.   J.   Hyland. 

Mary  and  Adolph  Flohr.  of  New 
York  Cit}-,  were  guests  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Faeth. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Corbett  and  Mrs.  J. 
E.  Corbett,  of  Hartford,  were  guests 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  W.  Costigan. 

Conrad  Miller,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
formerly  of  Meriden,  was  home  for  the 
week. 

Mrs.  E.  de  la  Chevratiere  and  son, 
Antonio  of  Ste.  Anna  de  la  Perade, 
Canada,  visited  her  sister-  at  No.  9 
Park  street,  Mrs.  D.  Frazier  and  her 
son,   E.    de  la   Chevratiere. 

Miss  Mae  Mulvey,  of  New  Haven, 
visited  her  cousin,  Mrs.  John  McWee- 
ney,  of  Yale  street. 

Major  S.  M.  Gladwin,  of  Hartford, 
Captain  Franklin  Dart  of  Noroton,  Al- 
bert Walker  of  Norwich  and  Norman 
L.  Hope  of  Hartfor(f  were  guests  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  W.  Wakefield  dur- 
ing  the    G.    A.   R.    encampment. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballot?  and  sons,  Clar- 
ence and  Harry-  were  the  guests  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Orrin  Carpenter,  of  Cat- 
lin  street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  F.  Parker  had  as 
their  guests  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  B.  An- 
drews, of  Lee,  Mass. 

Mrs.  R.  J.  Vance  and  family  of  New 
Britain  were  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.    D.    Parker  of   Kensington   Heights. 

Miss  Alice  McCarthy,  of  Hartford- 
spent  the  week  with  Meriden  relatives. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Edwards,  of 
Springfield,  Mass.,  former  Meriden 
residents,  stayed  the  week  with  their 
relatives   in   this   city. 

Thomas  Maxwell,  of  Farmington, 
formerly  of  this  city,  spent  Centennial 
week    in    this    city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Maloney,  of  New 
York   cit\^   visited    Meriden    relatives. 

Edward  H.  Smith,  of  Thompson- 
ville,  was  the  guest  of  Meriden  friends. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  P.  Allen,  of 
York,  Pa,,  were  the  guests  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    Henrv    Warren. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


367 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  Hugo  and  Mr.  and 
Airs.  Frederick  Lutz,  of  New  Haven, 
were  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  A. 
Bauer,  of  Colony  street. 

The  Misses  McAllister,  of  Danbury, 
were  the  guests  of  the  Misses  Martin, 
of    Goodwill    avenue. 

Frank  Collins,  of  the  Wauregan  ho- 
tel, Norwich,  formerly  of  the  Meriden 
house,    was   a   visitor. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  J.  Hurley,  of  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  were  guests  of  Miss  E. 
G.    Hurley.  • 

Mrs.  George  A.  Kennedy,  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y..  formerly  Miss  Katherine  A. 
Gragan,    was   a   visitor  here. 

Richard  Scharmer,  of  Winsted,  was 
home    with    his    parents. 

Thomas  Lacroix,  a  former  Meriden 
boy,  spent  a  few  days  with  relatives. 
Mr  Lacroix  is  practicing  medicine 
with  Dr.  A.  P.  Larcin,  of  Atlantic  City, 
N.   J. 

Mrs.  August  Adler,  August,  Carl  and 
Rose,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  were  guests 
(if  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Otto  Rule,  of  32 
Lima    street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Levi  B.  Curtis,  of  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  were  guests  of  Attorney 
and    Mrs.    George   A.   Fay. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Lane,  of  Mys- 
tic,  were  the  guests   of  Ives  W.   Hart. 

Mrs.  S.  M.  Paddock  was  in  town  for 
the  week. 

Miss  Katherine  A.  Greene,  of  Flor- 
ence, Mass.,  visited  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  A.   Butler. 

INIiss  Susie  Dalton,  of  Bridgeport, 
Avas  the  guest  of  Miss  Anna  Walsh,  of 
Sherman    avenue. 

Samuel  F.  Hayes,  of  Portland,  Me., 
who  formerly  was  employed  here,  re- 
turned to  his  home  after  spending  a 
very  enjoyable  week  with  his  Meriden 
relatives. 

The  Misses  Sarah  and  Margaret 
Kane,  of  New  York,  were  the  guests 
of  Meriden   friends. 

:\frs.  Mary  Norcott  Mix,  of  New 
Haven,  aged  eighty-three,  who  was  a 
much  interested  Centennial  visitor,  saw 
.-''!  the  paj'ades  from  a  window  in  Dr. 
Hall's    office. 

Mrs.  H.  J.  Burgess  and  little  daugh- 
ter, Gladys,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  spent 
the  week  with  her  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  H.  Donahue,  of  Center 
street.     Mrs.   Burgess   formerlv  lived  in 


this  city  and  was  a  popular  member  of 
L.    A., "  A.    O.    H.,    Division    15. 

Miss  Margaret  Coyne,  of  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  formerly  of  this  city,  visited 
friends    in   town. 

Mrs.  John  Foley,  of  Middletown,  vis- 
ited her  cousin,  Mrs.  Wm.  Corrigan,  of 
Arch    street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Willliam  Wilcox,  of 
Norwalk,  visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Kel- 
ler,   of    Center    street. 

William  J.  Larkins,  of  Bridgeport, 
a  former  well-known  Meriden  young 
man,  visited  his  father,  Lawrence  Lar- 
kins, of  South  Broad  street. 

Eugene  W.  Gilmartin,  of  Spoffert, 
N.  H.,  .spent  the  week  with  his  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Gilmartin  of  Wind- 
sor avenue. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest  Ziegler,  of  East 
Hampton,  Mass.,  visited  their  daugh- 
ter,   Mrs.    H.    C.    Kline. 

Mrs.  Fred  Kilbourne  of  Springfield, 
visited    her    father,    Benjamin    Page. 

Mrs  Sarah  Vaughan  Horton  of  Prov- 
idence spent  the  week  here. 

Mrs.  Oliver  Rice  entertained  a  party 
of  guests  at  her  home  on  Coe  avenue. 
Among  them  were  Mrs.  Betsy  Rice 
Judd,  of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Sarah 
Rice  Parsons,  of  Washington,  who 
were  born  here  and  were  glad  to  see 
old   friends. 

Mrs.  Louis  Krahl,  of  212  Curtis 
street,  entertained  her  uncle  and  aunt. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Woodford,  of 
Leicester,  England,  for  the  week.  IMr. 
Woodford   is   a  manufacturer. 

Mrs.  Delia  E.  Yale,  of  New  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  spent  Centennial  week  with 
her  niece.  Mrs.  P.  D.  Morin  of  War- 
ren  street. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  E  .S.  Beckley.  of  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  visited  their  sisters,  Mrs.  J. 
C.  Booth  and  Mrs.  Fred  Haaga.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Beckley  left  here  twenty  years 
ago. 

Mrs.  L.  Grautrau  and  two  children 
of  Stamford  visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Al- 
fred  J.    Gautrau,   of   221    Center   street. 

Mrs.  Florence  Chase  Haight,  former- 
ly of  this  city,  was  the  guest  of  Mr. 
and    Mrs.    Albion    C.    Bumpus. 

Edward  J.  Gaffey,  a  well  known  mem- 
ber of  the  Young  Men's  T.  A.  B_.  so- 
ciety, who  is  now  employed  in  Bridge- 
port, spent  the  week  at  his  home  in  this 
citv. 


368 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MEKIDEN. 


Col.  and  Mrs.  Watson  J.  Miller  of 
Shelton  spent  a  few  days  here  with 
relatives. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  McKenzie 
visited   with    Benjamin   Kennard. 

Casper  Bull  of  Philadelphia  visited 
relatives. 

James  Redfield,  of  Hamilton.  Cana- 
da, visited   Mrs.   Emma  Redfield. 

Mrs.  Willliam  Potter,  of  Guilford, 
spent  the  week  with  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Fred   Huntington. 

Simeon  P.  Jonas,  for  some  time  past 
a  resident  of  New  Haven,  was  among 
the  Meriden  visitors,  and  he  had  a  spe- 
cial interest  in  the  firemen's  division 
of  Monday's  big  parade  as  he  was  for 
a  good  many  years  a  member  of  the 
E.    J.    Doolittle    Truck    company. 

Mrs.  James  Mulvaney  and  daughter. 
Miss  Jennie,  of  Fitchburg.  Mass.,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  Walker  of  Brooklyn, 
George  Lawlor  of  New  Britain,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  William  Lawlor  of  Hartford, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gus  Kammer,  all  for- 
mer residents  and  relatives  of  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Kenney  and  Charles  A.  Berry, 
were  the  guests  of  the  last  named  for 
the  week.  Mr.  Walker  was  formerly  a 
contractor  in  this  city.  It  is  thirty 
years  ago  since  some  of  them  have  vis- 
ited Meriden.  They  were  royally  en- 
tertained. Besides  taking  in  the  Centen- 
nial celebrities  they  visited  Hubbard 
park  and  other  places  of  interest.  Mus- 
icales  were  held  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Kenney  and  Mr.  Berry.  INIr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Toothill  of  Stamford  were  also 
guests  of  Mrs.  William  Kenney. 

Miss  Charlotte  McCarthy  had  as  their 
guest,  Mrs.  Franklin  Ives  and  daugh- 
ter. Miss  Mabelle,  of  Southington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  Eddy,  of  Weth- 
ersfield,  formerly  of  Meriden.  were 
guests  of  Mr  .and  Mrs.  Frank  Rice 
of    Grove    street. 

Mrs.  Livingston  Campbell  of  New 
Haven,  was  the  guest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.   Frances  of  Cherry  street. 

Walton  and  Earl  Studwell  of  Stam- 
ford arrived  Monday  on  their  motorcy- 
cles and  were  entertained  during  their 
stay  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Spencer  of 
Wood  street.  From  here  they  went  to 
Boston  on  their  wheels,  but  returned 
to  participate  in  the  doings  of  the  week. 

Mrs.  Walter  Revnolds  of  Providence 
visited  her  sister,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Clark,  of 
Reservoir  avenue. 


George  W.  Hall,  of  Forestville,  vis- 
ited his  daughter,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Hill,  of 
South    Colony    street. 

Miss  Faith  Gerard  of  Rutherford,. 
New  Jersey,  visited  her  uncle,  Joseph 
Gerard  of  Sylvan  avenue. 

Julius  Newell  of  Rockville  was  the 
guest  of  W.  H.  H.  George,  of  Stone 
street,  for  a  few  days.  Mr.  Newell  was 
in  the  Eleventh  Connecticut  regiment 
with  Mr.  George  and  marched  with 
the  old  vetterans  Tuesday. 

Miss  Hazel  Spenoer  of  Ware,  Mass., 
spent  Centennial  week  with  friends  in 
this  city.  Miss  Spencer  is  a  native  of 
Meriden. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  Dupleisses  of 
Waterbury,  formerly  residents  of  Mer- 
iden, were  the  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George    O.    Spencer   of   Hanover    street. 

Mrs.  Warren  A.  Ferris  of  Stamford 
was  the  guest  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
Spencer  of  54  Wood  street. 

Postmaster  William  H.  Kelsey  and 
wife  of  Clinton,  were  guests  of  his 
brother.  Letter  Carier  Charles  S.  Kel- 
sey. 

Miss  Mae  Cain,  of  New  York  city, 
visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Ryan,  of 
Arch    street. 

Thomas  Kelleher,  of  Seymour,  was 
a   Meriden    guest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edgar  Alvord.  of  ]\Ior- 
ris.  Conn.,  were  guests  of  Miss  Lillie 
McLoughlin,  of  South  avenue. 

Mr.     and     Mrs.     James     Catlin      and 
daughter,    Miss    Mae    Catlin.    of_Har.t-         J 
ford,  were  guests  of  friends  in  this  city.         '^ 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  J.  Curtin  and 
daughter,  of  New  York  city,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M.  J.  Doyle  and  daughter  ofNew 
Britain,  Joseph  McGann  and  friends. 
Dinny  and  Mr.  Donnelly,  of  Orange. 
N.  ].,  visited  Mrs.  Catherine  McGann. 
of  Maple  street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  G.  Hill,  of  Bridge- 
port,   former    Meriden    residents,    spent 
the    week    with    Mr.    Hill's    parents    on         J 
Ilobart  street.  1 

Thomas  P.  Casey,  of  New  York,  who 
formerly  conducted  a  tailoring  shop  on 
East  Main  street,  came  home. 

The  Misses  Mae,.  Ida  Susie.  Alice 
and  John  Dalton,  of  Bridgeport,  for- 
merly of  this  city,  were  guests  of  their 
cousin.  Miss  Julia  Hughes. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Reynolds,  of 
Bridgeport,    visited    Mr.    Reynolds'    sis- 


CKNTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEX, 


iGc) 


ter,  Mrs.  Eliza  McLoughlin,  of  South 
avenue.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  member 
of  the  famous  Stow  baseball  team  that 
made  Meriden  famous  in  the  seventies. 

Arthur  Ball,  of  Boston,  spent  the 
week  with  his  aunt,  Mrs.  P.  H.  Russell 
of   Colony   street. 

Peter  Montrie,  of  New  London,  for- 
merly of  Meriden,  was  the  guest  of  his 
local  friends. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norman  C.  Smith,  of 
Newark,  N.  J.,  formerly  of  this  city, 
were  here. 

Rudolph  Born,  of  Forestville,  a  for- 
mer Meriden  Turner  society  leader, 
was  here  for  the  turnfest  and  the  cel- 
ebration. 

Mrs.  Charles  M.  Greene,  of  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  Y.,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  I.  R. 
Curtis,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  were  guests  of 
Mr  and  Mrs.  John  Hull,  of  334  Broad 
street. 

Misses  Martha  Welch,  Mae  Kennery, 
Katherine  Morrison,  of  Springfield ; 
Gertrude  Parker,  of  Holyoke;  Mary 
Welch  and  Margaret  Garrity.  of  South- 
ington,  were  the  guests  of  Miss  Kittie 
Ryan,    of    Hobart    street. 

John  Maney,  of  Orchard,  Me.,  was 
with  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward 
Maney,   of   Center   street. 

Roland  L.  Dryhurst,  brother  of  Post- 
master Henry  Dryhurst,  was  here  with 
his  daughter,  Margery,  for  the  big  home 
week.  Mr.  Dryhurst  is  now  the  assist- 
ant superintendent  of  the  Rockford  Sil- 
ver Plate  company's  factory  at  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  and  it  is  seventeen  years  since 
his  previous  visit  to  Meriden.  He  was 
of  course,  greatly  interested  in  Meri- 
den's    Centennial. 

John  F.  Murden,  who  has  been  with 
Matthews  &  Willard,  of  Waterbury, 
since  leaving  the  Bradley  &  Hubbard 
concern,  was  a  Meriden  visitor  who  re- 
newed   old   acquaintances. 


by  house  on  Parker  place.  When  quite 
young  his  father,  Isaac  W.  Curtis,  re- 
moved to  the  corner  of  High  and  Main 
streets  in  the  house  now  occupied  by 
James  R.  Sloane,  and  a  few  years  later 
to  a  farm  at  the  corner  of  Broad  street 
and  Gale  avenue-  where  he  lived  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  then 
removed  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  is 
now  located.  In  that  place  he  learned 
the_  jeweler's  trade  and  followed  that 
business  for  twenty  years.  In  1873  he 
started  in  the  manufacture  of  an  oil 
for  polishing  and  brightening  furniture, 
pianos  and  floors  and  has  built  up  a 
business  which  now  extends  to  all  parts 
of   the    United    States. 

Mr.  Curtis  was  married  in  Newark 
at  the  age  of  twenty-nine.  Three 
children  were  born  to  them,  but  only 
one  survives,  Miss  Clara  I.  Curtis,  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  Newark.  At 
the  age  of  sixty  Mr.  Curtis  began  the 
study  of  hygiene  and  claims  that  from 
that  practice  of  what  he  has  learned 
his  health  has  improved  so  that  to- 
day he  is  healthier  than  ever  before 
in   his   life. 


ISAAC   R.    CURTIS. 
One  of  the  visitors  to  Meriden   dur- 
ing the  centennial  was  Isaac  R.  Curtis, 
of    Newark,    N.    J.,    who    was    born    in 
Meriden,  Sept.  30,  1838,  in  the  old  Hig- 


JOSEPH    P.    BEACH. 

A  centennial  visitor  who  was  as  in- 
terested as  any  one  in  the  growth  of 
Meriden,  was  Joseph  P.  Beach,  of 
Cheshire.  Mr.  Beach  is  a  son  of  Moses 
Y.  Beach,  who  was  the  founder  of  the 
New  York  Sun  and  who  built  a  fine 
residence  in  Wallingford,  the  building 
now  being  used  as  a  hotel — t|ie  well- 
known    Marlborough    house. 

Mr.  Beach  used  to  fish  in  Harbor 
Brook  and  remembers  the  town  when 
it  was  a  very  small  one.  His  recollec- 
tions of  the  Millerite  movement,  when 
a  good  many  Meriden  people  bought 
white  robes  and  went  out  on  the  "last 
day"  and  waited  to  ascend  to  heaven, 
are    very    interesting. 

Mr.  Beach  came  into  The  Journal  of- 
fice to  learn  where  he  could  obtain 
tickets  for  the  "First  Town  Meeting." 
He  expressed  himself  as  greatly  im- 
pressed by  the  big  celebration.  Mr. 
Beach  is  the  author  of  a  history  of 
Cheshire. 


24 


370 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


Press  Comments,  Letters  of  Regret,  Etc. 


HOLDS    HER   AGE   WELL. 
[Hartford   Post] 
To    Miss    Meriden :    You    really   don't 
look  it. 


GREAT  WEEK  FOR  SILVER  CITY. 
[Rockville  Leader.] 
All   roads   will   lead   to   Meriden   this 
week.     It  will  be  a  great  week  for  the 
Silver  Citj'. 


GOOD  WISHES. 
[Waterbury  American.] 
Everybody  wishes  Meriden  the  best  of 
weather  and  the  most  complete  suc- 
cess in  its  celebration..  Meriden  is  a 
town  that  stands  for  the  things  which 
have  given  Connecticut  its  pre-eminence, 
industry,    thrift   and   enterprise. 


FRISKY  AS  A  COLT. 
[New  Haven  Register.] 
Meriden,  one  hundred  years  old,  is 
as  frisky  as  a  colt  and  is  celebrating 
its  anniversary  with  every  kind  of  joy- 
ful instrumentality.  The  soberer  and 
more  sedate  city  of  New  Haven  begs  to 
assure  its  neighbor  of  its  unmitigated 
good  will  and  affection. 


PLANS   WELL  CARRIED   OUT. 
[New    London    Telegraph.] 

Meriden's  Centennial  has  been  ob- 
served in  a  way  that  reflects  great 
credit  on  the  citizens  of  that  enteprris- 
ing  place  who  made  the  arrangements. 
The  city  deserves  to  be  highly  com- 
mended for  the  finished  manner  in 
which   its  plans   were  carried  out. 


CONTINUOUS  PERFORMANCE. 
[Bridgeport      Standard.] 

Meriden  is  celebrating  her  Centennial 
anniversary  as  a  town  this  week  and  is 
having  a  great  time,  with  a  continuous 


performance,  lightning  changes  and  all 
the  concomitants  of  the  "greatest  show 
— of  the  kind— on  earth."  If  her  people 
survive  the  week  without  feeling  two 
hundred  years  old  at  the  end  they  will 
be  fortunate,  but  this  sort  of  a  celebra- 
tion does  not  come  every  year.  Three 
cheers  for  Meriden ! 


GOOD  PRESS  COMMITTEE. 
[Naugatuck  News.] 
If  any  one  in  Connecticut  is  not 
aware  of  the  fact  that  the  city  of  Mer- 
iden is  having  a  Centennial  celebration 
this  week  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  cen- 
tennial press  committee.  They  have  ad- 
vertised the  celebration  far  and  near 
and  have  advertised  it  well,  and  for  the 
able  manner  in  which  they  have  per- 
formed their  work  they  are  deserving 
of  credit  and  a  vote  of  thanks  by  the 
people  of  Meriden. 


ONE  OF  THE  RESULTS. 
[Meriden  Record.] 

The  centennial  is  demonstrating  one 
fact  which  some  people  had  lost  sight 
of — that  Meriden  was  the  scene  of  many 
historical  incidents  of  as  much  inter- 
est as  other  places  which  have  been 
more   talked  of. 

An  occasional  reference  such  as  the 
allusion  by  George  M.  Curtis  in  his  ad- 
dress, at  the  presentation  exercises,  to 
Major  Shaylor,  gives  a  personal  touch 
to  the  narrative  which  is  at  once  in- 
spiring and   interesting. 

The  little  burying  ground  on  "Meet- 
ing House  Hill"  takes  on  new  signifi- 
cance when  the  history  of  some  of  those 
who   are   buried   there   is   known. 

Such  homeopathic  doses  of  history 
are  good  for  children.  They  lead  them 
"by  easy  stages"  to  a  time  and  place 
where  they  will  be  inspired  to  make 
investigations    for    themselves. 

The  loan  exibit,  too,  has  proved 
quite    a    revelation    to    many.     It    really 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


371 


is  an  "open  book"  and  the  articles  tell 
stories  so  charming  and  interesting  that 
one  is  easily  carried  away  to  another 
epoch  where  manners  and  customs  were 
radically  different  and  which  have  had 
a   bearing  on   succeeding  generations. 


MERIDEN'S    SUCCESS. 

[New  London  Day.] 

The  citizens  of  Meriden  are  to  be 
congratulated  upon  the  success  of  the 
city's  Centennial  celebration.  Blessed 
with  find  weather  they  have  improved 
every  shining  hour.  There  has  been 
something  doing  every  day  this  week. 
Satisfied  visitors  have  filled  the  town 
to  overflowing.  To  carry  out  success- 
fully a  celebration  of  such  magnitude 
requires  much  planning,  great  enthus- 
iasm and  plenty  of  hard  work,  and  the 
grand  result  accomplished  is  ample  evi- 
dence that  the  citizens  of  Meriden,  both 
high  and  low,  have  unitedly  put  their 
hearts,   heads  and  hands   into  the  task. 


FINE    LABOR    PARADE. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June   13.] 

Another  successful  Centennial  parade, 
that  of  the  labor  organizations  to-day. 
The  men  presented  a  fine  appearance 
and  the  decorated  floats  and  vehicles 
were  most  attractive  features.  Of 
course  but  a  very  small  part  of  the 
large  membership  of  the  labor  unions  of 
Meriden  was  represented  by  those  in 
line,  but  it  was  an  excellent  representa- 
tion and  impressed  all  spectators  most 
favorably.  * 

ft  is  well  and  good  to  praise  our  cap- "^ 
tains  of  industry  for  what  they  have 
done  for  the  town,  but  the  men  under 
them,  the  rank  and  file,  the  men  but 
for  whom  the  "captains"  could  have  ac- 
complished nothing — these  toilers  are 
entitled  to  their  full  share  of  credit,  aye 
and  material  reward.  Probably  many 
thought  of  this  as  the  parade  passed 
by ;  at  any  rate  there  was  an  abundance 
of  applause  and  other  signs  of  appre- 
ciation that  all  must  have  noticed.  La- 
bor showed  up  well  on  its  special  holi- 
day, doing  its  share  to  make  a  success 
of  the  celebration,  and,  being  blessed 
with  such  splendid  weather,  we  have  no 
doubt  will  have  an  afternoon  and  even- 
ing of  thorough  enjoyment  at  its  picnic 
festivities.     We   certainly  hope   so. 


COMPLIMENTS   FOR   MERIDEN. 
[Norwich    Bulletin.] 

The  present  week  the  state  sees  Mer- 
iden making  the  most  of  a  centennial 
anniversary  and  the  opportunities  inci- 
dental thereto ;  and  those  who  are  ad- 
miringly looking  on  have  to  admit  that 
Meriden  is  doing  herself  proud! 

But  while  the  anniversary  habit  is  al- 
ways commendable,  it  is  the  every-day 
good  municipal  habit  which  contributes 
most  to  the  advancement  off  any  city. 
To  be  doing  extraordinary  things — to 
make  a  city  attractive  once  in  a  while, 
is  all  right— but  to  keep  a  city  clean, 
healthy,  busy  and  attractive  every  day 
is  the  real  praiseworthy  accomplish- 
ment. 

Meriden  has  a  habit  of  being  attrac- 
tive all  the  time.  In  their  civic  pride 
the  people  keep  the  welfare  of  the  city 
close  to  their  hearts — they  speak  of 
home  with  that  feeling  of  love  and  en- 
dearment which  means  so  much.  Mer- 
iden is  their  hobby  as  well  as  their 
hope.  Meriden's  good  name  is  their 
good  name — Meriden  and  her  people  are 
one  and  inseparable. 

That  is  the  municipal  spirit  which 
should  pervade  every  live  community. 
It  is  above  the  carping  of  political  or 
religious  differences — it  is  the  universal 
plane  upon  which  civic  harmony  sits 
and  presides  for  the  common  good. 
All  the  people  are  in  it  and  it  is  all 
for  all  and  all  in  all.  It  means  power 
and  it  means  progress  and  it  means 
prosperity. 

The  municipality  so  blessed  is  the 
envy  of  those  who  have  not  yet  attained 
the  municipal  habit  which  is  best  and 
greatest — every  man  for  the  city  and 
the  city  for  every  member  of  the  muni- 
cipal  family. 


EXPRESSION  OF  ADMIRATION. 
[Waterbury  Republican.] 
The  city  of  Meriden  is  experiencing 
an  even  greater  success  with  its  Cen- 
tennial than  was  anticipated.  Probably 
the  Meridenites  themselves  were  pre- 
pared for  the  advent  of  the  great 
crowds,  as  they  knew  that  they  had  pro- 
vided attractions  that  would  draw  the 
multitudes.  But  the  rest  of  the  state 
for  the  most  part  didn't  realize  what  a 
really  big  event  the  Silver  City  had  pre- 
pared to  make  of  the  one  hundredth  an- 
niversarv  of  its  birth  . 


j/-^ 


CPXT1-:XXIAL    ()!•"    MRUIDKN, 


Meriden,  however,  has  really  outdone 
herself,  and  her  sister  cities  are  glad 
to  acknowledge  her  achievement  and 
express  their  admiration  in  no  uncertain 
terms.  In  truth  it  is  no  small  thing 
that  has  been  done  by  the  citizens  of  the 
enterprising  community  to  the  east  of 
us.  None  in  the  state,  it  is  safe  to  say, 
could  have  crowded  into  a  w'eek  a  series 
of  more  interesting  events  or  arranged 
a  programme  of  more  general  attrac- 
tiveness. The  event  justifies  the  judg- 
ment of  the  promoters,  and  the  crowds 
and  their  evident  enjoyment  of  the  va- 
rious features  attest  the  popularity  of 
the  whole  celebration  . 

The  men  of  Meriden  who  have  made 
the  city  what  it  is  are  deserving  of  con- 
gratulations. After  all  this  celebra- 
tion is  merely  the  outcome  of  the  com- 
munity's enterprise  in  other  directions, 
which  has  fostered  its  growth  against 
natural  handicaps  that  would  have  dis- 
heartened a  less  hardy  and  determined 
people.  Meriden's  hundred  years  of 
achievement  are  worth  celebrating  and 
the  celebration,  those  who  have  visited 
the  city  during  this  notable  week  in  its 
history  are  happy  to  testify,  is  worthy 
the  achievement  which  it  commemo- 
rates. 


CELEBRATION   UNDER   WAY. 
[Meriden    Journal,    June    ii.] 

All  goes  well  with  Meriden's  Centen- 
nial and  Old  Home  week  celebration. 
The  events  of  Saturday  evening,  of  yes- 
terday and  of  to-day  up  to  this  writing 
came  off  according  to  programme  and 
met  every  expectation  fully.  Every- 
thing seems  to  be  in  splendid  running 
order  and  there  is  no  reason  why  it 
should  not  so  continue  throughout  the 
week.  It  does  not  seem  possible,  after 
about  ten  days  of  unsettled  weather,  that 
we  should  have  more  of  it,  but  even 
if  there  is  a  day  or  two  more  of  rain 
it  will  not  interfere  with  the  general 
success  of  the  celebration.  Everybody 
is  in  the  best  of  spirits,  prepared  for 
a  week  of  the  liveliest  enjoyment,  and 
sure  to  find  it  unless  we  are  mightily 
mistaken.  There  may  be  clouds  in  the 
sky  as  there  were  this  morning  but 
there  are  none  on  the  faces  or  spirits 
of  those  concerned  with  this  great  home 
jubilee. 

To  the  thousands  of  visitors  we  wish 
again  to-day  to  repeat  the  welcome  ex- 
tended to  them  by  The  Journal  on  Sat- 


urday. It  rests  with  them  entirely  how 
much  prdfit  and  pleasure  they  may  de- 
rive during  their  stay  here.  The  peo- 
ple of  Meriden  are  more  than  pleased 
to  greet  and  entertain  them,  and  do 
most  sincerely  hope  the\-  may  have  no 
cause  to  regret  their  coming.  Espe- 
cially glad  are  we  to  welcome  back  to 
the  old  home  the  many  former  residents 
of  the  town.  We  know  they  will  re- 
joice to  see  how  Meriden  has  pro=- 
gressed,  and  will  enter  fully  and  heart- 
ily into  the  spirit  of  the  week's  festivi- 
ties. And  when  they  go  away  again,  if 
go  they  must,  we  know  they  must,  we 
know  they  will  feel  greater  pride  than 
ever  in  Meriden,  and  more  vigorously 
than  ever  proclaim  its  many  beauties  and 
virtues. 

To-day  for  the  first  time  we  get  some 
sort  of  an  idea  of  the  holida\'  appear- 
ance presented  by  the  town.  It  is  high- 
ly encouraging  to  note  how  widely  and 
generously  the  citizens  have  entered  in- 
to the  spirit  of  the  celebration.  Never 
were  finer  or  more  liberal  decorations 
for  a  place  of  this  size.  From  the  high- 
est to  the  lowest  everybody  is  interested 
if  not  enthused.  All  seem  happy  if  not 
actually  so,  and  if  there  is  any  unfavor- 
able criticism  it  is  buried  in  the  depths 
of  long,  straggling  whiskers  and  can- 
not be  heard.  And  above  all  who  are 
overjoyed,  and  who  are  being  showered, 
as  they  well  deserve  to  be,  with  con- 
gratulations, are  the  faithful,  hard- 
working committeemen  who  have  done 
so  much  to  bring  about  the  success 
which  has  crowned  their  long  months 
of    arduous,    voluntary    labor. 


PROUD  OF  MERIDEN. 

[Shore   Line   Times.] 

Meriden  has  done  and  is  yet  doing 
herself  proud  this  week  in  the  proper 
celebration  of  the  looth  anniversary  of 
the  incorporation  of  the  town.  The 
town  is  magnificently  decorated  from 
the  center  to  its  utmost  limits,  scarce- 
ly a  business  building,  manufacturing 
plant  or  residence,  no  matter  how  im- 
portant or  how  humble,  that  does  not 
exhibit  some  spirit  of  loyalty  and  pride 
by  elaborate  decoration  or  the  display 
of  a  bit  of  color  of  patriotic  design. 
Rich  and  poor,  high  and  low,  employer 
and  employe  have  worked  side  by  side 
to  place  on  the  pages  of  history  records 
of  a  work  well  and  nobly  accomplished. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


373 


The  decorations  viewed  by  daylight 
are  probably  the  most  elaborate  ever 
seen  in  the  state  and  are  certainly  very 
beautiful. 

While  the  decorations  and  parades, 
the  music  and  the  speechmaking  have 
all  been  on  a  grand  scale,  the  most 
glorious  feature  of  it  all  was  the  home- 
coming of  hundreds  of  outlanders,  na- 
tives who  had  wandered  from  their 
own  firesides  into  new  country  and  after 
a  lapse  of  many  years  returned  to  the 
scenes  of  their  childhood  to  live  over 
again  for  a  brief  period  the  happy  days 
when  life  had  no  sorrows  for  them  and 
all  was  the  cloudless  sunshine  of  care- 
free youth ;  he  could  once  more  wan- 
der over  his  verdure-clad  hills,  the 
meadows  and  the  valleys,  and  point 
with  happy  reminiscence  to  the  spot 
where  in  the  days  of  long  ago  some 
event,  trivial  in  itself  as  viewed  through 
maturer  eyes,  had  transpired  but  which 
returned  with  glistening  vividness  down 
the  vista  of  the  years.  *  *  *  And 
thus  we  could  continue  to  reminise  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter  as  doubtless 
thousands  of  others  can  and  have  done 
during  the  week  as  they  have  returned 
to  Meriden  and  visited  old  familiar 
spots.  It  was  one  of  the  glorious  fea- 
tures of  "Old  Home  week"  and  appre- 
ciated only  by  those  who  have  wandered 
from    the    homestead    of    their    youth. 

jMeriden  should  be  proud  of  her 
achievements.  We  are  proud  of  Meri- 
den. 


NEARING  THE  END. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June   15.] 

No  showers  to-day,  up  to  this  noon 
at  least,  in  spite  of  yesterday's  weath- 
er prediction.  Perhaps  our  Centennial 
good  luck  will  remain  with  us  to  the 
end.  But  at  any  rate  the  heavy  work 
is  all  done  and  these  remaining  two 
days  of  an  ever  memorable  week  will 
be  given  ovei'  to  more  quiet  enjoyment. 
After  all  we  have  been  through  we  are 
about  ready  to  take  things  easier  and 
rest  a  little.  And  it  will  afford  the 
home-comers  an  opportunity  to  get 
around  more  freely  and  look  up  old 
friends. 

It's  truly  surprising  how  large  a 
number  of  former  residents  embraced 
this  opportunity  to  revisit  the  old  town. 
They  were  to  be  met  on  every  hand 
and  it  was  refreshing  to  see  how  much 


pleasure  they  seemed  to  be  having.  If 
all  our  visitors  enjoyed  themselves  as 
much  as  these  did,  the  fame  of  Meriden 
for  hospitality  and  as  a  fine  place  to 
visit  will  be  spread  all  over  the  land. 
For  that  matter,  it  is  already  throughout 
New  England  and  the  east  as  far  as 
the  newspapers  can  reach.  The  cele- 
bration has  been  very  liberally  report- 
ed, so  that  its  glory  is  well  known  to 
most  newspaper  readers.  If  newspaper 
advertising  pays,  and  we  all  know  it 
does,  Meriden  will  be  handsomely  re- 
paid for  all  it  has  invested  in  this  cel- 
ebration in  the  way  of  money,  labor 
and  time.  Any  way  it  is  viewed,  it  has 
been  a  grand  success  and  highly  credi- 
table in  all  its  results  to  all  connected 
with  it. 


MERIDEN'S    CIVIC    SPIRIT. 
[Waterbury    Republican.] 

All  Connecticut  takes  an  interest  in 
the  ceremonies  that  will  this  week 
mark  the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  town  of  Meriden,  and  pretty 
much  all  Connecticut  will  lend  a  hand, 
in  one  way  or  another,  to  the  splendid 
celebration  of  the  event.  To  the  fame 
which  this  inventive  and  productive  lit- 
tle commonwealth  enjoys  in  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth,  the  Silver  City 
has  contributed  her  part,  and  her  sis- 
ter cities  accord  her  full  homage  and 
bear  toward  her  the  family  pride. 

That  pride  will  be  increased — -has  al- 
ready been  increased  immeasurably — by 
the  splendid  scale  upon  which  she  has 
planned  to  observe  the  interesting  event 
at  hand.  It  has  never  been  equalled 
in  the  state  and  it  has  set  a  new  stand- 
ard that  will  be  hard  for  other  towns 
to  meet,  however  large,  populous  or 
wealthy  they  may  be.  A  solid  week  of 
jubilation,  with  events  so  numerous 
and  well  distributed  that  no  one  day 
is  better  than  another,  make  up  a  pro- 
gramme almost  confusing  to  those  who 
can  afford  the  time  for  only  a  part  of 
it  and  want  to  see  and  hear  the  best. 

Time  was  when  Meriden  and  Water- 
bur}'  were  rivals  in  many  ways  but  this 
city  drew  away  with  respect  to  concrete 
wealth  and  numbers,  and  we  have  been 
prone  of  late  years  to  look  somewhat 
patronizingly  upon  her  from  our  posi- 
tion in  the  van.  But  let  us  admit  with 
proper  humility  that  she  has  now  far 
•••utdcnc    r.s    .'n    civic    spirit — th.-.    thing 


374 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


most  of  all  to  be  proud  of ;  and  let 
us  confess  that  we  failed  dismally  a 
couple  of  years  ago  to  arouse  sufficient 
interest  here  to  observe,  in  any  way, 
an  event  similar  to  that  now  marked  so 
handsomely    by    Meriden. 

In  her  week  of  jubilee  Meriden  has 
the  hearty  congratulations  of  the  Brass 
City  and  the  hope  that  her  celebration 
will   add  to  her  silver  luster. 


The  Meriden  folks  have  an  old  and 
confirmed  habit  of  "stickin"  together 
like   fun" ;   please  to  notice  the   results. 


ALL  ROADS  LEAD  TO  MERIDEN. 
[Norwich    Bulletin.] 

All  roads  in  the  state  of  Connecti- 
cut lead  to  Meriden  this  week  and  to 
that  city  all  eyes  will  be  turned.  This 
is  Meriden's  centennial  week  and  the 
exercises  began  in  the  churches  Sunday 
with  religious  commemorative  services 
and  the  week  will  be  a  week  of  festiv- 
ities   and    pleasure. 

The  programme  is  so  arranged  that 
the  veterans  of  the  state,  the  firemen 
and  the  militia — in  fact,  so  that  every- 
body in  the  state  who  has  the  inclina- 
tion, the  leisure  and  the  cash  may  go 
to  Meriden  and  find  enjoyment. 

'Meriden  is  expecting  50,000  visitors 
this  week,  and  it  will  not  be  surpris- 
ing if  she  has  twice  that  number  before 
the  week  ends. 

It  is  highly  creditable  to  Meriden  that 
she  has  taken  time  to  plan  and  perfect 
her  centennial  celebration  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  every  day  will  be  a  good 
day.  _  and  that  the  whole  will  throw 
credit  upon  all  who  have  been  instru- 
rnental  in  making  the  programme  attrac- 
tive or  its  carrying  out  a  success. 

We  agree  with  the  Hartford  Courant 
it  is  a  pity  that  the  farmer  who  sowed, 
plowed  and  reaped — serving  God  and 
the  state  in  their  generation — where  the 
great  factories  now  stand,  could  not 
have  been  amazed  and  thrilled  by  a 
vision  of  the  times  to  come.  To-day 
Meriden's  name  is  known  on  all  the  con- 
tinents and  in  the  islands  of  the  seas.  The 
things  made  in  Meriden's  factories  go 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  busy,  in- 
genious, prosperous  manufacturing  town 
has  been  a  credit  to  Connecticut  these 
years  past ;  a  lesson  and  example  also. 
The  orator  at  the  State  street  meeting 
(reported  in  the  "Bigclow  Papers"; 
said  to  his  fellow  whigs : 
"Only  look  at  the   Democrats,   see  wut 

they've    done 
Jest  simply  by  stickin'  together  like  fun." 


MERIDEN'S    GLORY   WEEK. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June   12.] 

Another  glorious  day  for  Meriden's 
great  celebration-made-to-order  weather 
it  might  be  called  for  the  Grand  Army 
parade  and  the  other  outdoor  events. 
It  was  just  suited,  too,  to  the  thousands 
of  visitors  who  wandered  through  the 
streets  and  without  discomfort  saw  all 
that  was  to  be  seen.  No  doubt  the  lov- 
ers of  horse  racing  will  Hock  to  the 
trotting  park  in  large  numbers  this  af- 
ternoon to  witness  the  speed  contests  to 
take  place  there.  The  unusual  cool- 
ness of  the  weather  is  adding  greatly  to 
the  pleasure  of  everybody  who  is  tak- 
ing part  in  the  exercises. 

Of  the  progress  and  success  of  the 
celebration  only  the  most  favorable  re- 
ports are  heard.  No  complaints  come 
from  visitors  and  our  home  people  are 
well  satisfied  with  the  way  affairs  are 
moving.  The  various  programmes  are 
all  being  carried  out  as  carefully  ar- 
ranged, and  the  outlook  is  most  satis- 
factory. All  day  and  far  into  the  night 
there  is  something  doing  to  interest  and 
entertain  the  visitors  and  add  to  the 
general  enjoyment.  Everybody  seems 
to  be  having  a  good  time  and  thus  one 
most  desirable  end  of  the  celebration 
has  been  attained.  Its  other  benefits 
to  this  community  are  bound  to  be  felt 
in  due  time  if  not  just  now,  and  they 
will  be  found  to  be  invaluable. 


AUSPICIOUS  OPENING. 
[New  Haven  Palladium.] 
Meriden  auspiciously  began  the  cele- 
bration of  centennial  week  yesterday. 
Though  Sunday  was  regarded  as  the 
first  day,  the  large  crowds  and  more 
general  attractions  made  Monday  the 
first  day,  in  fact.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  good  weather  will  continue,  *-hat 
the  crowds  will  grow  greater  and  that 
the  Silver  City  may  reap  every  possible 
benefit  from  the  week's  festivities.  Mer- 
iden has  every  reason  to  be  proud  of 
its  history  and  may  she  add  to  that 
pride  on  her  looth  anniversary.  The 
committees  having  the  different  pro- 
grammes of  the  celebration  in  hand  are 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


375 


all  representative  men  who  know  their 
business  and  are  doing  everything  pos- 
sible  for   the   ecomfort    of   the   visitors. 

With  a  realization  of  the  great  crowds 
that  will  attend  the  celebration  a  novel 
step  has  been  taken  in  the  establishing 
of  a  "Comfort  House"  for  the  care 
of  women  and  children.  Trained  nurses 
and  maids  will  be  in  attendance  there 
to  look  after  the  comfort  of  tired  wom- 
en and  children  so  that  none  such  need 
fear  to  come  without  feeling  that  they 
will    be    carefully    cared    for. 

For  the  care  of  the  general  public  a 
conunittee  on  "Pul)lic  Safety"  has  been 
appointed  who  will  watch  every  possi- 
ble avenue  of  accident  or  crookedness. 
While  Meriden's  centennial  will  be  big, 
beautiful  and  enthusiastic,  it  will  be 
clean  and  orderly  in  every  respect. 


GOOD   WISHES   FOR   MERIDEN. 

[Trumbull    in    New   York   Herald.] 

The  town  of  Meriden  is  one  of  the 
most  enterprising  and  progressive  towns 
in  the  whole  state.  When  it  was  orig- 
inally set  off  from  the  town  of  Wal- 
lingford,  in  order  that  those  who  lived 
in  the  Meriden  parish  might  come  the 
more  surely  into  what  was  called  their 
"ordinary  rights,  privileges  and  immun- 
ities," its  people  laid  the  foundations 
of  the  larger  life  that  has  come  to  it. 
At  first  numbered  among  the  small 
towns  of  the  state,  it  finally  yielded  to 
the  industrial  impulse  and  fashioned  its 
future  along  those  lines.  To-day  it  is 
one  of  the  stoutest  cities  in  the  state, 
and  is  known  wherever  human  needs 
have  made  themselves  known.  Its  men 
have  taken  a  high  place  in  the  councils 
of  the  state  and  have  been  influential 
in  shaping  its  destiny  along  higher  lines. 
That  it  will  begin  its  second  century 
with  every  assurance  of  greater  pros- 
perity is  the  pra3^er  of  the  state. 


NEVER   MIND  THE  RAIN. 

[Meriden  Journal,  June   14.] 

"Showers,  Friday."  Let  'em  come. 
They  can't  dampen  Meriden  enthusiasm, 
nor  work  great  injury  to  the  celebra- 
tion here.  The  big  parades  and  out- 
door events  have  about  all  taken  place, 
with  weather  seemingly  made  to  order 
for  them.  Four  such  glorious  days  as 
we  have  had  were  enough  to  ensure  the 


success  of  any  affair  of  this  nature. 
We  can  stand  a  little  rain  now.  Only 
we  should  have  liked  fair  weather  to- 
morrow, Wallingford  day,  so  as  to 
make  the  visit  of  the  friends  from  the 
mother  town  the  more  enjoyable.  And 
there's  that  red-hot  baseball  game 
booked  for  Saturday  afternoon.  But 
that's  two  days  off  yet. 

However,  we  are  sure  a  little  bad 
weather  won't  prevent  a  great  gather- 
ing here  to-morrow  of  Wallingford 
people,  although  for  that  matter  they 
have  been  largely  in  evidence  all  the 
week.  But  Friday  is  their  day,  and  in 
their  honor  special  exercises  have  been 
arranged.  Meriden  is  proud  of  the  fact 
that  she  sprang  from  such  a  fine  old" 
mother,  and  she  hopes  the  blood  rela- 
tionship will  never  be  forgotten  or  that 
there  will  be  any  lessening  of  the  warm- 
feeling  of  affection  that  now  exists.  So 
let  the  borough  be  well  represented 
here  to-morrow,  rain  or  shine,  and  let 
it  be  our  duty  to  be  even  more  hospi- 
table than  ever.  And  may  every  one 
have  a  day  of  enjoyment,  the  memory 
of   which    will    long   be   treasured. 

We  cannot  refrain  from  reprinting 
here  an  extract  from  a  special  report  of 
the  Meriden  celebration  which  appeared 
in  this  morning's  New  York  Sun,  as 
follows : 

'All  doubt  as  to  whether  a  staid 
New  England  town  could  keep  up  the 
pace  for  an  entire  week  of  carnival 
seems  to  have  vanished.  The  populace 
and  outsiders  crowd  the  streets  day 
and  night  and  join  in  the  rejoicing's 
with  the  abandon  of  New  Orleans  at  the 
Mardi  Gras.  There  is  something  do- 
ing every  minute  and  no  one  seems  to 
be  weary.  The  city  has  been  eighteen 
months  preparing  for  the  Centennial  and 
the  doubting  Thomases  have  all  disap- 
peared. Some  held  out  until  to-day, 
but  to-night  they  were  shouting  with 
the   optimists." 

All  true,  every  word  of  it.  And  we 
may  add  that  the  present  outlook 
is  that  the  celebration  will  not  cost  the 
town  one  penny ;  thaat  the  town  appro- 
priation made  to  pay  expenses  will  not 
be  touched.  Indeed  with  two  days  more 
of  decent  weather  we  shouldn'tbe  sur- 
prfsed  if  the  Finance  committee  would 
be  able  to  report  at  the  clsoe  a  bal- 
ance on  hand — to  be  applied  of  course 
to  another  Home  Week  jollification. 
Isn't  that  a  splendid  record? 


0/ 


76 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


THE  MEN  OF  MERIDEN. 
[Hartford  Times.] 
Celebrating  the  centennial  of  its  In- 
corporation, the  town  of  Meriden  is 
experiencing  a  succession  of  crowded 
hours  this  week.  Recalling  its  cheer- 
ful yesterdays  and  facing  its  confident 
to-morrows,  the  community  is  mak- 
ing the   most   of   to-day. 

By  the  end  of  the  week  the  people 
of  Meriden  will  be  tired  out.  It's  a 
strenuous  seven  days  for  them,  a  con- 
tinuous performances  of  events  that  col- 
lectively make  up  a  seductive  pro- 
gramme. But  a  town  that  has  lived 
■a  hundred  years  and  has  kept  forging 
ahead  all  the  time  doesn't  mind  a  touch 
of  healthy  fatigue  now  and  then.  If 
will   sleep  all  the  better  for  it. 

Nature  didn't  do  much  for  Meriden 
-except  to  distribute  some  attractive 
scenery  through  the  outlying  districts. 
The  city  has  no  great  geographical  ad- 
vantage other  than  being  only  eight- 
een miles  from  Hartford.  It  has  no 
navigable  stream ;  it  is  provided  with 
no  great  water  power;  it  is  rather 
cooped  up.  And  yet,  starting  out 
small,  it  has  grown  big.  It  has  kept 
pegging  awaj^  It  has  made  the  most 
and  the  best  of  its  opportunities.  It  has 
put  hustle  above  hilarity,  industry  above 
inertia,  the  persevering  life  above  the 
prodigal  life.  It  has  husbanded  and  ex- 
panded its  resources  instead  of  wasting 
them. 

The  secret  of  Meriden's  achievements 
and  steady  advancement  has  been  Mer- 
iden's men.  The  personal  equation  has 
been  the  dominating  influence.  Other 
towns  liavc  set  out  with  a  great  many 
more  natural  advantages  than  Meriden. 
but  lacking  the  great  captains  of  in- 
dustry who  have  made  Meriden  fa- 
mous, they  have  lagged  behind  while 
Meriden  has  been  jogging  ahead.  The 
whole  state  takes  a  kindly  interest  in 
watching  Meriden  show  what  it  feels 
like  to  be   a   century  young. 


MERIDEN'S  looTH  BIRTHDAY. 
[Meriden  Journal  June  9,  1906.] 

Birthday  anniversaries  between  the 
ages  of  four  and  thirteen  are  exciting 
events.  After  that  they  grow  more 'fre- 
quent, seemingly,  and  their  advent  is 
hailed  in  a  calmer  spirit,  until,  indeed, 
they  altogether  cease  to  become  wel- 
come.    When   we   have   attained  to   the 


respectable  age  of  100,  however'  we  are 
no  longer  troubled  by  that  modesty  that 
earlier  caused  us  to  dodge  the  census 
man's  questions,  and  we  glory  in  our 
hoary  crown  of  years. 

Seldom  with  more  propriety  to  any 
town  might  the  word  "birthday"  and 
other  personifying  terms  be  applied  than 
to  Meriden,  for  in  the  observance  of  her 
Centennial  we  are  not  to  celebrate  the 
discovery  of  rich  beds  of  mineral 
wealth,  or  the  development  of  great 
natural  resources.  Her  only  product  of 
importance  was  her  men.  The  men,  in 
turn,  produced  her  wealth,  set  her 
wheels  turning,  made  her  famous  the 
world  over  as  the  seat  of  industries 
that  bring  the  town  to-day  in  touch  with 
every   corner  of  the  civilized   world. 

The  Centennial  next  week  will  have 
fulfilled  a  great  mission  if  it  does  noth- 
ing more  than  awaken  an  interest  in 
the  men  whose  energy,  whose  intelli- 
gence and  whose  integrity  made  Meri- 
den what  she  is  to-day.  This  awakened 
interest  will  bring  with  it  loyalty.  No 
town  may  thrive  unless  her  citizens  are 
loyal ;  no  town  has  more  reason  to  ex- 
pect loyalty  from  her  people  than  has 
Meriden. 

Too  much  money  expended  in  mere 
adornment  is  money  thrown  awa3^  There 
is  no  room  in  the  minds  of  these  people 
for  sentiment.  They  keep  their  books 
too  nicely  balanced.  But  loyalty,  grat- 
itude— aye  !  .  even  sentimentality — are 
greater  and  better  than  that  spirit  that 
asks  of  every  effort,  of  every  call  for 
aid-  "What  do  I  get  out  of  it?"  Throw 
out  the  streamers,  unroll  the  flags ;  you 
need  not  fear  that  your  credit  column 
will  be  overcrowded.  Meriden  has  done 
more  for  you  than  you  are  likely  to 
do  for  her,  however  willing  you  may 
be  to  strike  a  balance. 

In  certain  quarters  there  has  been 
manifest  a  tendency  to  decry  the  Cen- 
tennial. There  are  always  snarlers.  The 
feeling  of  "smartness"  that  urges  a  man 
to  speak  evil  of  his  town  is  not  un- 
common. There  are  plenty  who  delight 
in  befouling  their  own  nest.  On  the 
w-hole,  however,  the  people's  response 
has  been  hearty  and  whole-souled,  and 
the  faultfinders  and  prophets  of  evil  find 
themselves  in  that  select  circle  known 
as  "the  minority."  The  success  of  the 
Centennial  was  assured  weeks  ago,  but 
every  day  that  has  brought  us  nearer 
to  the  great  occasion  has  made  success 
the  more  certain,  until  now  it  looks 
as  if  nothing  of  human  origin  can  pre- 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


377 


vent  the  next  week  from  being  the 
greatest  in  the  historj^  of  the  town.  And 
we  think  it  will  long  hold  the  state 
record. 

We  believe  that  the  desire  awakened 
in  the  minds  of  Meriden  pepole  to  know 
more  about  their  town  and  the  men 
that  made  it  will  result  in  still  greater 
progress.  "The  fathers"  were  men 
worthy  of  emulation ;  their  characters 
were  such  as  to  repay  the  student  to- 
day. Some  of  them  will  live  again, 
next  Saturday,  and  will  aid  in  recalling 
from  the  past  Meriden's  great  day,  the 
day  when,  asssembled  in  the  first  town 
meeting  in  their  history,  they  ratified 
the  action  of  the  General  Assembly  in 
making  a  town  of  Meriden  parish.  If 
some  of  the  spirit  that  animated  the 
men  of  1806  shall  be  caught  by  the  men 
of  1906,  we  need  not  fear  for  the  future. 


THE  MERIDEN  HABIT. 
[Hartford    Courant.] 

Meriden  is  a  hundred  years  old ;  Mer- 
iden feels  grown  up,  responsible,  ,as 
good  as  anybody,  "some  pumpkins'' ; 
this  week  Meriden  is  celebrating.  A 
handsome  picture  the  towii  makes  in  its 
glad  clothes ;  even  strangers  \vhirled 
through  on  the  railroad  trains  admire, 
and  ask  questions.  May  the  weather 
conditions  this  week  be  to  Meriden's 
heart's  desire;  and  all  the  other  con- 
ditions, too. 

What  a  pity  it  seems  that  the  hon- 
est old  farmers,  who  sowed,  ploughed 
and  reaped — serving  God  and  the  state 
in  their  generation — where  the  great 
factories  now  stand,  could  not  have 
been  amazed  and  thrilled  by  a  vision 
of  the  times  to  come.  To-day  Meri- 
den's name  is  known  on  all  the  conti- 
nents and  in  the  islands  of  the  seas. 
The  things  made  in  Meriden's  factories 
go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  busy, 
ingenious,  prosperous  manufacturing 
town  has  been  a  credit  to  Connecticut 
these  3-ears  past ;  a  lesson  and  example 
also.  The  orator  at  the  State-street 
meeting  (reported'  in  the  "Bigelow  Pa- 
pers'') said  to  his  fellow  Whigs: 
"On'y    look    at    the    Demmercrats,    see 

wut  they've  done 
Jest    simplv    by    stickin'    together    like 
fun."  _ 

The  Meriden  folks  have  an  old  and 
confirmed  habit  of  "stickin'  together 
like  fun ;"  please  to  notice  the  results. 

We  hope  all  Hartford  people  who  can 


will  look  in  at  Meriden's  birthday  partv 
this  week,  and  enter  heartilv  into  the 
spirit  of  it.  It's  a  family  affair.  The 
older  town  and  the  younger  are  not 
only  near  neighbors — they  are  close  re- 
lations. Nothing  that  concerns  Meri- 
den's welfare  and  happiness  can  ever 
be   alien   to    Hartford. 


CENTENNIAL  LESSON. 
[Meriden    Record,    June    11,    1906.] 

It  will  be  a  long  time  till  the  next 
Centennial,  so  long  that  comparatively 
few  of  us  will  see  it.  Therefore,  let 
us  make  the  most  of  this  one. 

And  that  doesn't  mean  getting  the 
most  out  of  it  for  ourselves  in  pleasure 
or  profit.  Meriden  is  celebrating  this 
week  not  only  events,  but  men,  the 
strong  men  who  laid  and  builded  upon 
the  foundations  of  the  town's  growth 
and  progress.  They  and  their  work  are 
now  being  brought  strongly  to  our  at- 
tention. 

Many  of  us,  however  familiar  we 
may  be  with  the  results  of  these  men's 
endeavor,  have  known  comparatively 
little  of  the  men,  their  characters-  their 
industry,  their  energy  and  devotion  in 
adding  to  the  sum  total  of  human 
achievements.  In  many  respects  we  have 
fallen  away  from  their  ideals.  In  whole- 
hearted public  spirit,  in  mutual  helpful- 
ness, in  that  devotion  to  the  public  weal 
which  scouts  personal  prejudice  or  pref- 
erence, and,  so  many  times,  personal  ag- 
grandizement, we  are  not  what  the 
fathers   were. 

And  it  isn't  necessary  to  go  back 
beyond  the  memory  of  many  now  living 
for   an    illustration   to   point   the   moral. 

In  the  comparatively  recent  days  of 
Horace  C.  Wilcox.  Isaac  C.  Lewis,"  Wil- 
liam W.  Lvman,  George  R.  Curtis,  Lem- 
uel J.  Curtis,  when  the  public  need  cried 
for  anything  necessary  to  the  popular 
welfare,  it  didn't  take  nearly  so  long  to 
supph'  that  need  as  it  does  now. 

Mr.  Wilcox  would  summon  all  of  the 
men  who  have  been  named  about  him, 
and  would  say :  "Gentlemen,  Meriden 
needs  so  and  so.  Now,  if  you  will 
stand  half  the  expense  I  will  stand  the 
other  half,"  and — well,  Meriden  got 
what  it  wanted  without  any  fuss  or 
feathers. 

We  need  such  men  as  these  to-day, 
or  we  need  that  the  men  we  have  should 
strive  unselfishly  to  be  more  like  these 
brave,    strong,    great-hearted    men    who 


3/8 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


have  gone  before  and,  without  whose 
efforts,  Meriden  to-day  would  have  little 
to   celebrate. 

So,  we  say,  let  us  make  the  most  of 
this  centennial  event,  the  most  of  the 
opportunity  it  gives  us  to  learn  what 
sort  of  men  the  fathers  were,  the  secret 
of  their  success,  and  to  inject  into  our 
daily  lives  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
spirit  that  animated  them. 

Few  of  us  shall  see  the  next  cen- 
tennial, but  all  of  us  can  learn  from 
this  one  so  to  live  that  those  who  cel- 
ebrate one  hundred  years  from  now 
will  have  reason  as  gratefully  to  re- 
member us  as  we  do  not  only  the 
founders,   but  the  builders  of  Meriden. 


PRAISES    CHIEF   BOWEN. 
[Meriden   Journal,    June    i6,    1906.] 

From  the  bench  in  the  Police  court 
Judge  Fay  this  morning  praised  Chief 
of  Police  Bowen  and  his  men  for  the 
discipline  and  order  they  have  main- 
tained during  this  week  of  immense 
crowds.  His  honor  has  been  in  a  good 
position  to  judge  of  this  fact  for  in 
addition  to  presiding  at  all  the  sessions 
of  the  Police  court,  he  has  seen  the 
throngs  in  the  busiest  part  of  the  city 
from   his  office   in   the   Palace  block. 

The  judge  marvelled  at  the  good  na- 
ture of  the  thousands  of  Centennial  cel- 
ebrants and  considered  it  surprising 
that  there  has  not  been  more  serious 
cases.  He  looked  at  the  court  records 
this  morning  and  found  that  there  has 
been  only  two  more  court  cases  this 
week  than  last  and  none  was  of  a  start- 
ling nature.  Of  course,  this  number 
does  not  include  the  many  professional 
crooks  who  were  gathered  in  by  detec- 
tives and  bundled  out  of  town. 

It  is  whispered  that  the  judge  bought 
dinners  yesterday  for  the  two  officers- 
Grady  and  McCarthy,  who  have  labored 
so  hard  and  faithfully  around  Meriden 
house  corner  all  week. 

Inspector  John  Boyle,  of  the  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  police  force  department,  a 
detective  who  has  traveled  from  coast 
to  coast  of  the  United  States,  speaks  in 
the  highest  terms  of  Chief  Bowen.  And 
the  other  out-of-town  policemen  say  the 
same. 

He  thinks  that  the  chief  and  his  men 
have  controlled  the  situation  in  great 
style  and  that  Meriden  people  cannot 
give  too  much  credit  to  the  head  of 
their  police  department.  "One  thing 
that   I   like  about   Chief  Bowen   is  that 


he  doesn't  know  it  all,  like  the  heads  of 
many  departments  I  have  met,  and  he 
is  always  willing  to  listen  and  learn," 
Inspector  Boyle  said.  He  considers  it 
remarkable  that  there  have  not  been 
niore  criminal  cases  and  says  it  is  due 
in  a  great  measure  to  the  system  of 
running  the  crooks  out  of  town  the  mo- 
ment they  are  spotted.  It's  like  singe- 
ing a  rat  and  letting  him  go  to  tell  his 
fellows  of  it. 


OLD  HOME  WEEK. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June  9,  1906.] 

The  Old  Home  week  feature  of  Mer- 
iden's  Centennial  celebration  was  an  af- 
ter thought.  And  a  right  good  one  it 
has  proved  to  be.  That  there  will  be 
more  like  it  is  a  certainty;  let  us  hope 
it  will  prove  an  annual  custom.  It  will 
bring  back  to  the  old  home  next  week 
people  from  many  sections  who  eagerly 
accepted  the  invitation  to  revisit  former 
scenes  and  meet  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors upon  this  festive  occasion.  They 
will  find  "little  old  Meriden"  as  lively, 
enterprising  and  hospitable  as  ever,  and 
thej^  will  take  pride  in  proclaiming  their 
relationship  to  it  and  their  affection  for 
it.  Their  home-coming  will  increase 
their  loyalty  to  Meriden  and  its  insti- 
tutions and  their  rejoicings  will  have  a 
stimulating  effect  upon  the  rest  of  us. 
They  will  bring  gladness  with  them 
and  they  will  take  away  with  them  to 
wherever  they  may  go  reports  that  can- 
not fail  to  be  of  the  great  future  ben- 
efit to  this  community.  Their  sound- 
ing praises  of  beautiful,  hustling  ]\Ieri- 
den   will  be  heard   far  and   wide. 

It  was  indeed  a  good  idea  to  com- 
bine an  Old  Home  week  with  our  Cen- 
tennial celebration.  It  is  sure  to  prove 
profitable  as  pleasurable.  We'll  enjoy 
it  and  the  "homers"  will  enjoy  it,  and 
the  memory  of  the  good  time  we've 
had  together  this  June  will  remain  for 
a  long  while  to  come.  So  we  say,  let 
us  do  so  some  more.  Why  not  an  an- 
nual Old  Home  week?  It  has  been 
tried  elsewhere  in  New  England,  always 
with  most  beneficial  results.  It'll  be 
good  for  all  of  us,  and  it  won't  involve 
any  great  sacrifice  of  time  or  money. 
Meanwhile,  a  greeting  from  the  heart 
to  those  who  are  coming  back  to  the 
old  home,  and  may  they  find  so  much 
enjoyment  and  satisfaction  that  they'll 
want  to  stay  a  month  instead  of  a  week 
— perhaps  for  good,  convinced  that 
Meriden  is  reallv  home. 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MEKIDEN. 


379 


DID   GOOD  WORK. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June  i8,  1906.] 

The  town  and  city  officials  got  back 
to  work  at  their  respective  offices  this 
morning  after  a  badly  broken  up  week, 
and   all   were   ready   for  business. 

Superintendent  Burke  received  many 
compliments  for  the  efficient  work  his 
street  department  men  did  during  the 
Centennial.  Superintendent  Burke  and 
his  band  of  street  cleaners  were  on 
hand  every  morning  at  4  o'clock  and  by 
7  the  streets  in  the  center  of  the  city 
were  cleaned  in  good  shape,  though  bad- 
ly littered  with  papers  and  confetti  from 
the   frolic   of   the   night   before. 

Strangers  as  well  as  Meriden  people 
remarked  upon  the  cleanliness  of  the 
streets,  and  their  good  condition  was 
one  of  the  things  that  made  the  cele- 
bration enjoyable.  It  was  certainly 
good  work  and  well  deserved  the  com- 
pliments bestowed  on  the  department. 

The  street  department  men  will  finish 
the  work  on  Perkins  street  that  was 
stopped  by  the  Centennial  and  will  then 
tackle   the    big   job   on    Cook    avenue. 


CLOSE  OF  THE  CELEBRATION. 
[Meriden  Journal,  June  16.] 
Not  a  word  of  complaint;  the  rain 
held  off  splendidl}-.  Five  days  of  such 
unusually  fine  weather  comes  pretty 
near  being  the  limit.  Of  course  it 
would  have  been  still  better  had  this 
last  day  of  our  great  celebration  been 
blessed  with  clear  skies,  but  we're  sat- 
isfied. If  we  didn't  need  the  rain  others 
did.  There's  been  so  much  success  all 
along  that  one  day  of  partial  failure 
does  not  make  us  feel  despondent.  It 
is  forgotten  in  the  general  rejoicing 
over  what  has  been  accomplished  and 
enjoyed. 

Seemingly  about  all  that  remains  now 
is  to  remove  the  beautiful  decorations. 
Too  bad,  a  prominent  citizen  remarked 
last  evening,  as  he  proudly  viewed  them, 
that  they  cannot  be  kept  up  right  along. 
That  would  not  be  possible,  of  course, 
but  the  thought  occurs  that  we  can 
keep  up  right  along  the  same  spirit  of 
civic  pride  which  has  been  so  much  in 
evidence  this  week,  and  that  will  mean 
a  great  deal  for  Meriden.  Not  only 
keep  it  up,  but  manifest  it  more  fre- 
quently. As  we  all  know  there  is  plen- 
ty of  it  here,  but  it  is  not  on  exhibition 
often   enough.     No  need   to  wait   for  a 


Centennial  or  Old  Home  week  cele- 
bration to  show  it,  but  let  it  be  on  tap 
every  year,  every  week,  every  day,  all 
the   time. 

A  great  good  has  been  accomplished 
this  week  aside  from  all  entertainment 
and  enjoyment  features.  The  celebra- 
tion has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
the  community  in  more  respects  than 
we  have  time  now  to  enumerate.  Not 
all  in  dollars  and  cents,  either,  which 
is  the  first  view  of  so  many.  For  this 
benefit  we  must  be  deeply  thankful.  And 
to  those  who  brought  it  all  about,  to  the 
men  who  have  labored  so  hard  and 
faithfully  not  only  this  week,  but  dur- 
ing the  months  of  preparation,  we  should 
not  hesitate  to  award  a  full  measure  of 
credit,  even  though  they  neither  ask  nor 
expect  it.  It  was  a  big  undertaking, 
and  required  a  vast  amount  of  labor. 
That  we  had  the  men  capable  of  it  and 
willing  to  do  it  proves  the  existence  of 
that  civic  spirit  of  which  we  have  heard 
so  much  of  late.  Ma}^  it  increase  with 
the    vears. 


DETECTIVES    HERE. 

Owen  Daly  is  one  of  the  most  de- 
ceptive men  in  the  police  business.  No 
one,  especially  a  crook,  would  take  him 
for  a  detective.  He  is  slight  in  build 
but  man}'  a  man  has  found  there  is  no 
superfluous  flesh  on  his  bones.  He  was 
a  railroad  man,  and  a  good  one  before 
he  became  a  member  of  the  New  Ha- 
ven police  force  and  his  rise  in  the  de- 
partment has  been  rapid  and  well  de- 
served. He  has  the  reputation  of  be- 
ing one  of  the  keenest  men  in  the  state. 
That  is  one  reason  why  he  has  been 
detailed  to  this  city  during  the  Cen- 
tennial   week. 

Detective  James  Ward  is  Daly's  part- 
ner and  many  a  good  job  they  have 
pulled  off  in  their  line.  He  has  not 
been  many  years  on  the  New  Haven  po- 
lice force  and  like  his  side  partner  his 
rise  has  been  rapid  and  he  always  gets 
his   men. 

Detective  Sergeant  Reidy  of  the  Cen- 
tral office  in  New  York,  probably  knows 
more  crooks  than  any  other  man  in  this 
or  any  other  country.  He  is  feared  by 
all  of  them  and  when  he  starts  off  after 
a  man  he  gets  him.  It  is  only  a  short 
time  ago  that  he  returned  from  a  long 
trip  to  Mexico  and  South  America  af- 
ter a  crook  and  caught  his  man  and 
brought    him   back   to    New    York.     He 


38o 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


earl\r  in  his  police  life  developed  the 
detective  instinct  and  while  he  was 
pounding  the  pavements  he  distin- 
guished himself  by  work  and  won  the 
attention  of  his  superior  officers.  He 
then  rapidly  forged  to  the  head  until 
he  now  holds  the  title  of  detective  ser- 
geant on  one  of  the  best  police  forces 
in  the  world.  While  he  has  been  in 
Meriden  he  has  hustled  many  crooks 
out    of    the    city. 

Inspector  John  Boyle  of  the  Spring- 
field force  has  more  the  appearance  of 
a  well  to  do  merchant  in  town  after  a 
line  of  goods  than  he  does  a  detective. 
Tall  and  well  made  no  one  would  take 
him  for  a  detective  and  that  is  where 
he  fools  them.  He  has  the  reputation 
of  being  the  best  detective  in  the  New 
England  states.  He  knows  the  crooks 
but  they  do  not  know  him  and  that  has 
been  manifest  this  week  when  some 
grafter  was  taken  by  the  arm  and  quiet- 
ly told  to  get  out  of  town  on  the  first 
train.     They  always  went. 


CENTENNIAL     SPIRIT     WILL  BE 

KEPT  UP. 

[Meriden    Journal,    June    i8,    1906.] 

The  great  success  of  the  Meriden 
centennial  is  certain  to  result  in  a  de- 
mand for  some  sort  of  a  celebration 
every  j^ear.  The  past  week_  has  done 
Meriden  more  good  in  giving  it  the 
reputation  of  being  an  up-to-date  city 
than  anything  in  its  history  and  there 
will  not  be  much  difficulty  in  getting 
the  right  kind  of  people  interested  in 
plans   to  keep  that  reputation   alive. 

One  plan  already  proposed  is  to  or- 
'ganized  a  INIeriden  Fair  and  Old  Home 
Week  society,  with  the  idea  of  hav- 
ing a  fair  and  old  home  celebration  for 
three  or  four  days  every  year  on  the 
plan   of  the  Danbury  or   Berlin   fair. 

There  is  no  question  of  the  success 
of  such  an  undertaking  on  the  general 
lines  of  the  Centennial.  It  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  the  success  of  the  Centennial 
will  warrant  the  building  of  a  better 
trolley  line  through  Kensington  and 
Lewis  avenues  so  that  thousands  of  peo- 
ple could  be  landed  at  the  park,  with 
the  greatest  ease.  With  that  kind  of 
transportation  facilities  and  good,  live 
management,  Meriden  could  have  a  fair 
that  would  bring  thousands  of  dollars 
into  the  city  and  keep  Meriden  to  the 
front  as  it  now  is. 

It    is    probable    that    as    soon    as    the 


people  get  rested  after  their  very  stren- 
uous week  the  matter  will  be  taken  up 
and  the  plans  formulated.  The  park 
owners,  Messrs.  Suzio  and  Butler- 
would  undoubtedly  take  an  active  inter- 
est in  such  an  affair,  for  it  would  be 
profitable. 

BRIGHTEN     THE     CITV. 

Another  proposition  to  keep  up  the 
Centennial  spirit  is  to  have  the  city 
lighted  better,  by  arranging  to  have  elec- 
tric banners,  something  on  the  line  of 
the  three  big  ones  that  were  used  dur- 
ing the  past  week,  lighted  every  night 
so  as  to  give  the  city  a  cheerful  and 
lively  appearance. 

It  is  proposed  to  ask  the  board  of 
apportionment  and  taxation  for  a  spe- 
cial appropriation  for  that  purpose.  If 
a  suitable  contract  can  be  made  with 
the  electric  light  company  it  would  be 
a  great  scheme  and  would  without 
doubt  meet  the  approval  of  every  pro- 
gressive  citizen   in  the   city. 

CENTENNIAL     SOCIETY. 

Still  another  centennial  suggestion  is 
that  those  actively  identified  with  the 
big  celebration,  form  the  Centennial  So- 
ciety club  or  association,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving,  at  stated  intervals,  some 
sort  of  an  affair,  the  nature  to  be  de- 
termined later,  to  keep  up  an  interest 
in  the  Meriden  matters  and  to  hold  the 
city  where  it  belongs;  also  to  give 
those  who  have  done  the  hard  centen- 
nial work  during  the  last  year  a  chance 
to  get  together  and  enjoy  themselves, 
for  they  didn't  have  much  opportunity 
to  do  so  during  the  past  week.  Oth- 
ers desiring  to  join  the  society  could 
be  taken  in  and  a  strong  organization 
formed. 

CI.O.SIXG    Ur    OF    .\FFAIRS. 

Executive  Agent  King  of  the  Centen- 
nial committee  was  busy  to-day  closing 
up  the  affairs  of  the  big  Centennial  cel- 
elDration.  Mr.  King  said  that  by  to- 
morrow morning  all  the  seats  would 
be  out  of  the  Town  hall,  and  the  hall 
would  be  in  shape  to  be  turned  over 
to  the  contractors.  According  to  the 
agreement  with  the  Lines  company. 
Chairman  George  M.  Curtis  of  the  Cen- 
tennial committee  held  possession  _  of 
the  •  hall  from  June  7  to  19  inclusive, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  the 
building   reverts   to  the   contractors. 

Mr.  King  said  it  was  a  matter  of 
congratulation  that  during  the  occu- 
pancv  of  the  hall  nothing  occurred  that 


CEXTEXNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


381 


in  any  way  damaged  it  in  the  slightest 
degree.  During  the  entire  Centennial 
week  the  care  of  the  hall  was  a  mat- 
ter of  anxiety  to  Centennial  officials, 
especially  in  view  of  the  fact  of  the 
hard  luck  which  jNIeriden  has  met  with 
in  the  matter  of  destruction  of  all  the 
halls,  and  one  of  the  rules  that  was 
rigidly  enforced  during  the  entire  week, 
was  in  the  matter  of  smoking,  which 
was   strictly   prohibited. 

COMMITTEE     THANKFUL. 

Mr.  King  stated  that  in  behalf  of 
the  committee,  he  desired  to  express 
cordial  appreciation  of  the  kindness  of 
St.  Andrew's  church,  St.  Rose's  church 
and  St.  Paul's  church,  and  other 
churches  and  individuals  in  loaning  the 
seats  that  were  used  in  the  hall  during 
the  week.  At  one  time,  it  looked  as 
if  it  would  be  impossible  to  provide 
sufficient  seats  for  the  hall,  but  like 
other  difficulties,  that  was   overcome. 

The  thanks  of  the  committee  are 
also  due  to  Chief  Bowen  for  the  prompt 
and  efficient  manner  in  which  he  co- 
operated with  the  committee  in  every 
possible  way  to  preserve  order  during 
the  entire   week. 

Chief  Lucas  of  the  Fire  department 
acted  on  every  suggestion  made  to  him 
that  would  in  any  way  protect  the  city 
from  loss  by  fire,  and  during  the  week 
very  kindly  detailed  firemen  to  guard 
the  auditorium  whenever  it  was  in  use. 

ALL  HELPED  OUT. 

H.  T.  King  said  that  during  the 
whole  six  weeks  that  he  was  engaged 
on  Centennial  matters,  he  was  assisted 
in  every  possible  way  by  the  citizens 
and  all  others,  whenever  a  request  was 
made   of  them,   and   frequently  without 


any  request  being  made.  He  further 
stated  that  no  one  who  was  not  in 
close  touch  with  the  affairs,  could  real- 
ize the  immense  amount  of  hard  work 
performed  by  the  members  of  the  Cen- 
tennial committee,  and  the  members  of 
the  sub-committees  who  for  about  two 
years  have  cheerfully  given  a  large 
amount  of  their  time  and  services  in 
the  effort  to  make  Meriden's  big  cel- 
ebration the  brilliant  success  that  it 
was.  He  said  that  from  his  own  per- 
sonal knowledge,  he  knew  they  met 
with  many  obstacles,  and  at  times, 
were  considerably  discouraged,  and  the 
fact  that  they  persisted  in  the  face  of 
these  things,  showed  they  had  the  true 
Meriden  spirit  within  them,  and  had 
the  courage  born  of  a  determination  to 
make  the   affair   a   success. 

While  it  wouUd  be  impossible  to 
mention  by  name  each  member  of  the 
several  committees,  the  entire  credit  of 
Meriden's  great  celebration  was  due  to 
them,  and  he  took  off  his  hat  to  them 
every  time. 

Mr.  King  stated  that  while  in  a 
measure  the  vast  amount  of  hard  work 
that  George  M.  Curtis  did,  was  real- 
ized and  appreciated,  yet  in  the  years 
to  come,  it  would  be  appreciated  still 
more,  and  the  thought  and  time  that 
Mr.  Curtis  gave  to  this  affair  during 
some  two  years,  would  certainly  cause 
him  to  occupy  a  still  higher  place  in  the 
estimation  of  the  people  of  Meriden. 

To  the  newspapers  of  Meriden,  the 
thanks  of  the  committee  are  due  for 
the  great  interest  they  have  manifested 
in  the  celebration,  and  the  willingness 
at  all  times  extended  to  all  the  com- 
mittees to  print  any  and  all  matters 
that  would  in  any  way  proomte  and 
help   in   the    success   of   the   Centennial. 


LETTERS  OF  REGRET,  ETC. 


(Copy.) 

87  Wilson  street,   Brooklyn,   N.  Y., 

June  9,  1906. 
Mr.  H.  Wales  Lines,  chairman  invita- 
tion committee,  Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Sir : — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  in- 
vitation to  the  Centennial  celebration  of 
your  city  and  I  assure  you  that  if  »ny 
health   will   permit  nothing  would   keep 


me  from  accepting  the  same,  although 
for  the  past  twenty-five  years  I  have 
been  a  resident  of  an  adjoining  state,  I 
have  never  forgotten  the  state  in  which 
I  was  born  and  spent  the  first  half  of 
my  life,  and  I  always  have  a  home-like 
feeling  whenever  crossing  the  state,  and 
it  seems  to  me  as  though  I  could  tell 
the  moment  the  line  is  crossed,  either 
on   its   northern   or   southern   boundary. 


382 


CENTENNIAL  OF    MERIDEN. 


The  associations  centering  about  the 
last  few  years  before  I  left  Connecticut 
have  always  been  remembered  with 
much  pleasure,  the  few  who  stood  nobly 
together  and  in  a  feeble  way  assisted 
in  carrying  out  your  plan  of  putting  one 
of  Connecticut's  honest  men  in  the  na- 
tional council  never  have  had  cause  to 
regret  the  hours  spent  in  the  accomp- 
lishment of  that  object.  The  writer's 
acquaintance  with  Orville  H.  Piatt  be- 
fore and  after  he  entered  upon  his  du- 
ties at  the  capitol  were  such  that  I  can- 
not help  feling  that  when  his  seat  be- 
came vacant  a  loss  was  felt  not  only  by 
the  country  at  large,  but  by  everyone 
whose  hand  he  had  ever  taken,  and  the 
state  which  he  represented,  as  well  as 
his  own  city,  might  well  feel  proud,  rind 
it  seems  to  the  writer  as  if  the  fact  that 
his  face  will  not  be  seen,  his  hand  shaken, 
or  his  voice  heard,  will  be  about  the 
only  thing  that  will  be  mrssed  at  your 
gathering   during  old   home   week. 

Trusting  that  every  condition  may  be 
favorable  to  a  successful  carrying  out 
of  the  entire  celebration  as  outlined,  if 
so  that  your  city  will  long  remember  its 
anniversary  of  1906  as  one  which  was 
indeed  an  old  home  week.  Thanking 
you  for  the  invitation  and  again  regret- 
ting my  inability  to  attend,  I  am. 
Yours  very  truly, 

John  A.  Coe. 

(Copy.) 
Meriden,   Conn.,  June   12,   1906. 
Editor  Record : 

I  ought  not  to  object  perhaps  to  be- 
ing called  out  of  my  name  when  the 
name  is  "Goodman,"  but  really  when 
in  reading  your  paper,  as  I  did  this 
morning,  and  for  that  matter  as  I  al- 
ways do  when  in  Meriden,  I  discovered 
that  in  your  list  of  people  entertained 
at  the  Meriden  House  on  Monday  there 
was  a  Mr.  S.  W.  Goodman  and  wife 
from  Waterbury,  and  I  felt  quite  sure 
it  should  have  read  for  myself  and 
wife,  I  felt  like  getting  back  at  your 
scribe  perhaps,  for  my  writing  so 
outrageously  bad  as  to  make  it  guess 
work  on  the  part  of  whoever  undertakes 
to  read  it.  But  let  alone  this  introduc- 
tion. Is  it  not  possible  that  an  old  Mer- 
idenite,  who  cast  his  lot  before  the  war 
with  your  predecessors,  and  only  left 
the  Silver  City  in  the  late  sixties  may  be 
able  to  furnish  you  with  a  little  copy 
which  in  this  time  of  especial   reminis- 


cence will  be  readable.  I  came  here  in 
1856.  One  of  my  first  pleasant  expe- 
riences was  to  find  my  old  playmate- 
schoolmate.  Orville  H.  Piatt,  located 
here  as  a  lawyer.  It  was  the  renewal 
of  a  friendship  which  lasted  through 
until  death  removed  one  of  the  noblest 
men  I  have  ever  known.  What  of  Mer- 
iden as  it  was  fifty  years  ago  com- 
pared with  what  it  now  is?  Much  of 
what  is  now  closelly  built  up  city  prop- 
erty was  open  lots.  The  tract  known 
as  New  City  was  covered  with  a  growth 
of  scrub  oaks,  white  birches  and  other 
indigenous  forest  trees.  Now  there  is 
hardly  a  vacant  lot  to  be  seen.  Driving 
into  West  Meriden  from  the  west  there 
were  in  those  days  two  or  three  old 
fashioned  houses,  but  for  the  most  part 
lots  were  vacant.  All  that  part  of  Mer- 
iden between  West  Main  street  and  the 
Cathole,  Kensington  road,  was  open 
farm  land.  At  about  where  now  stands 
the  Meriden  and  Waterbury  depot  was 
a  sawmill  pond  on  which  I  remember 
seeing  the  Rev.  W.  H.  H.  Murray  and 
his  wife  skate.  On  State  street  where 
now  stands  the  Meriden  Britannia  shop 
was  a  skating  pond  on  which  I  myself 
remember  skating,  while  I  rememlier 
State  street  as  the  place  where  horses 
were  trotted.  The  town  hall  was  the 
place  where  all  lectures  and  public 
meetings,  political  gatherings  of  Ijoth 
parties,  and  in  war  time  the  rallies  by 
which  the  ranks  of  the  Union  army 
were   kept   filled    found   open    doors. 

Here  in  the  Meriden  town  hall  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  delivered  an  address  which 
did  much  toward  adding  members  to 
the  Republican  party,  newly  formed,  and 
to  strengthen  the  belief  of  those  who 
had  espoused  that  cause  that  they  were 
right.  After  the  meeting  I  was  one  of 
a  favored  entertainment  committee  by 
whom  the  prospective  president  was  es- 
corted to  the  old  hotel  on  the  hill  and 
what  with  stories,  recitations,  and  the 
jovial  interchange  of  pleasantries  which 
Lincoln  enjoyed  as  much  as  any  one  of 
the  party,  I  remember  to  have  passed  a 
most  enjoyable  evening.  Who  were 
there?  I  wish  I  knew  who  of  them  all 
are  living  beside  myself.  Piatt,  W.  W. 
Lee,  Captain  Harvey,  gone,  and  so  to- 
day I  wander  up  and  down  the  streets 
on  which  I  once  knew  nearly  every  one 
and  realize  that  I  am  among  strangers. 

But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the 
Meriden  centennial?  Who  said  it  would 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


383 


be  a  fizzle?  My  wife  and  myself  were 
here  last  night  and  passed  a  unanimous 
vote  that  so  far  as  decorations  went 
and  general  appearances  to  outsiders  it 
was  bound  to  be  a  grand  success.  To- 
day I  have  seen  the  automobile  parade. 
It  was  immense.  The  decorations  in  all 
the  flowers  that  grow,  making  a  display 
of  such  varieties  of  tastes  as  to  be  be- 
wildering but  all  beautiful,  and  to  build- 
ers of  and  believers  in  the  horseless 
vehicle  it  must  have  been  a  wonderful 
encouragement  to  note  how  perfectly 
manageable  the  things  which  are  ac- 
cused of  climbing  trees  and  telegraph 
poles  can  be  in  a  crowd.  And  the 
crowds  of  people.  In  places  a  jam,  and 
all  happy.  And  the  Grand  Army.  The 
"Boys"  getting  old,  you  say.  Well,  they 
can  march  yet,  and  the  music  and  the 
blue,  and  the  carriage  of  the  veterans 
to  one  who  looks  back  to  the  time  when 
before  their  locks  had  been  touched  by 
the  frost  of  time  they  congregated  and 
prepared  to  go  to  the  field  to  preserve 
the  union,  who  remembers  where  now 
is  Hanover  lake  was  the  camping  ground 
of  cavalry,  comes  a  moistening  of  the 
eyes.  God  bless  them  for  what  they  did. 
Let  us  honor  them  and  do  what  we  may 
to  make  their  remaining  years  pleasant. 
S.  W.  GOODYEAR. 

Stephen  W.  Goodyear,  who  is  a  res- 
ident of  Waterbury,  being  an  authority 
in  the  steel  industry,  is  very  well  known 
in  Meriden,  in  both  a  social  and  business 
Avav. 


(Copy.) 
Sibley,  Iowa,  June  9,  1906. 
I\lr.  H.  Wales  Lines,  Meriden,  Conn., 
My  Dear  Sir : — Words  cannot  express 
my  appreciation  of  your  kind  invitation 
to  attend  the  exercises  of  Meriden's 
Centennial.  I  have  always  held  a  very 
pleasant  remembrance  of  Meriden  and 
her  people  during  the  many  years  since 
T  last  saw  her.  I  have  kept  somewhat 
in  touch  with  Meriden's  growth  and 
prosperity  and  I  have  rejoiced  in  it  as 
much  as  her  actual  residents.  It  is  now 
nearly  half  a  century  since  I  last  saw 
Meriden,  but  I  have  not  forgotten  her 
surroundings  or  her  people.  It  is  with 
a  keen  regret  that  I  realize  that  my  ad- 
vanced age — T/ — will  not  allow  me  to 
be  present  during  Old  Home  Week,  to 
meet  the  friends  of  former  days  who 
still    survive.     It    is    with    a    feeling    of 


sorrow  that  I  realize  that  there  will  be 
many  vacancies  in  the  ranks  of  those 
who  were  residents  of  Meriden  in  the 
50s.  To  those  who  are  left  I  can  only 
say  that  I  hope  prosperity  and  happi- 
ness may  be  their  lot  for  many  years 
to  come. 

Trusting  that  the  fondest  hopes  of 
the  people  of  Meriden  may  be  realized, 
I  beg  to  remain, 

Sincerely, 
JOHN   McKINLEY,   SR. 


(Copy.) 
New  Haven,  Conn.,  June  8,  1906. 
Mr.   H.  Wales  Lines, 

Chairman  Invitation  Committee, 
Meriden,  Conn. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Lines: — I  am  in  receipt 
of  your  very  kind  invitation  to  attend 
the  Centennial  Celebratio  nand  Old 
Home  Week  of  Meriden.  I  certainly 
feel  very  highly  honored  in  receiving 
your  invitation,  and  assure  you  that  if 
it  is  possible,  I  shall  try  and  attend 
some    one    of    the    gatherings. 

Again    thanking    you    for    the    invita- 
tion,  I   remain. 

Yours  verv  trul3% 
R.  S.  WOODRUFF. 


(Copy.) 

United  States  Senate, 
Washington. 

George  H.  Wilcox,   Secretary, 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  shall  make  a  special 
effort  to  spend  one  or  more  days  in 
Meriden  during  the  Centennial  celebra- 
tion, but  am  not  able  to  make  a  definite 
acceptance  at  the  present  time  owing 
to  the  possible  necessity  of  my  pres- 
ence in  Washington  during  what  we 
hope  will  be  the  closing  weeks  of  the 
present  session. 

Sincerely, 

M.  G.  BULKELEY. 
May  29,  1906. 


(Copy.) 

Mr.  George  M.  Curtis, 

Pres.   Centennial   Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
My  Dear  Sir : — Please  accept  my 
thanks  for  your  kind  invitation  for 
June  loth  to  i6th  and  the  programme 
of  interesting  exercises  to  occur  at  that 
time.  While  I  cannot  expect  to  attend 
all  the  many  functions  provided  it  is  in 


3^4 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


ni}'  hope   and   plans   to   be   present   at   a 

number  of  them. 

Yours  verv  trulv, 

O.  VINCENT  COFFIN. 


(Copy.) 
United  States  Ship  Chicago. 
Rear  Admiral  Goodrich  thanks  the 
people  of  Meriden  for  their  kind  invi- 
tation for  June  loth  to  i6th  and  regrets 
that  some  three  thousand  miles  of  in- 
tervening distance  prevent  his  accept- 
ing. 

Portland,    Oregon,    May   27. 


(Copy.) 
Mr.  George  H.  Wilcox,  Secretary, 

Dear  Sir: — I  accept  with  pleasure 
your  kind  invitation  to  attend  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  at  Meriden,  and  I 
thank    you. 

Verv   respectfullv   vours. 

ROSE  BECkWITH  TRACY, 
Regent  A.  B.  F.  Chapter,  D.  A.  R. 
Jewett  City,   Conn.,  June   i,   1906! 


(Copy.) 

Department  of  the  Navy, 

Washington. 

May  31,  1906. 
Captain  Swift  regrets  that  other  en- 
gagements make  it  impossible  for  him 
to  accept  the  invitation  for  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  in  Meriden  and  he 
is  compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure  of 
renewing  at  this  time,  the  agreeable  ac- 
quaintance made  in  February  last. 
[Commander   Battleship   Connecticut.] 


(Copy.) 
District  Attorney's  Office, 
County  of  New  York,  May  23,  1906. 
Mr.   George  M.   Curtis, 

President    Centennial    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Sir : — T  beg  to  thank  you  and 
the  other  members  of  the  committee  for 
your  courtesy  in  inviting  me  to  be  pres- 
ent during  the  Centennial  celebration 
and  Old  Home  Week,  commemorating 
the  incorporation  of  Meriden  as  a  town, 
June  loth  to  i6th,  1906,  and  regret  that 
engagements  already  made  will  pre- 
vent me  having  the  pleasure  of  attend- 
ing. 

Sincerely  vours. 
WM.  TRAVERS  JEROME. 


(Copy.) 
United   States   Senate. 

May   27,    1906. 
Hon.    H.    Wales    Lines, 

Chairman    Invitation    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Mr.  Lines : — I  thank  you  very 
much  for  the  invitation  which  I  re- 
ceived to  attend  the  Centennial  celebra- 
tion at  Meriden  from  June  loth  to  the 
1 6th,    inclusive. 

I  should  like  very  much  to  be  present, 
but  there  is  no  possibility  of  Congress 
adjourning  by  that   time,   so   that  I   re- 
gret that  I  cannot  accept  the  invitation. 
With  kind  regards,  I  remain, 
Verv    sincerelv   yours, 
FRANK  B.  BRANDEGEE. 


(Copy.) 
The  Rev.  Alexander  Hamilton  accepts 
the    invitation    of    the    Invitation    Com- 
mittee and   will  be  present  from  Wed- 
nesday, June   13,   1906.     The  Centennial 
celebration    and     Old     Home     week    at 
Meriden,    Conn. 
Dover    Plains,    New    York, 
May  21,   1906. 

( Copy. ) 

Committee  on  the  Territories. 

House   of  Representatives,   U.   S., 

Washington,  D.  C,  May  31,   1906. 

Hon.    H.   Wales   Lines, 

Chairman,    Invitation    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Mr.  Lines : — I  thank  you  very 
much  for  the  invitation  which  I  re- 
ceived to  attend  the  Centennial  celebra- 
tion and  Old  Home  Week  at  Meriden 
from  June    loth   to    i6th,    inclusive. 

I  should  like  very  much  to  be  pres- 
ent, but  there  is  no  possibility  of  Con- 
gress adjourning  by  that  time  and  I  re- 
gret that  I  will  be  unable  to  accept  your 
kind    invitation. 

With  kind  regards  and  best  wishes.  I 
remain. 

Yours   verv    truly, 
EDWIN  W.  HIGGINS. 


(Copy.) 
Mr.  George  M.  Curtis, 

Meriden,    Conn., 
My    Dear    Mr.    Curtis: — Thank     you 
very  much  for  the  kind  invitation  to  at- 
tend the  ceremonies  in   Meriden  during 
the  Old  Home  Week.     If  conditions  are 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


385 


SO    that    I    can,    I    shall    certainly    avail 
myself   of   the   privilege   of   attending. 
Again  thanking  you  for  the  invitation 
I  am  very  sincerely  yours, 

GEO.   L.   LILLEY. 


tion   and   Old    Home   Week,   June    loth 
to   1 6th,   1906. 

Washington,    May   21. 


(Copy.) 

House  of  Representatives,  U.   S., 

Washington,    D.    C,    May   23,    1906. 

H.   Wales   Lines,   Esq., 

Chairman,  Committee  on  Invitations, 
Centennial  Celebration,  Meriden, 
Conn. 

Dear  Mr.  Lines: — Allow  me  to  ac- 
knowledge receipt  of  an  elegant  souve- 
nir programme  of  exercises  connected 
with  the  Centennial  celebration  and  Old 
Home    Week    in    Meriden. 

The  entire  programme  of  the  week's 
doings  is  most  attractive  and  charac- 
teristic of  Meriden  enterprise,  good 
taste    and    public    spirit. 

I  exceedingly  regret  that  my  duties 
in  Congress  will  prevent  me  from  ac- 
cepting  your   very   courteous   invitation. 

With  best  wishes  for  Meriden  and 
with    personal    regards. 

Most    sincereh',    j-^ours,    etc. 

•  E.  S.  HENRY. 


(Copy.) 
Engineer  Office,  U.   S.  Army, 
Detroit,    Mich.,    I\Iay    21,    1906. 
Mr.    George    M.    Curtis,  • 

President  Centennial  Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Sir : — I  have  the  honor  to  ac- 
knowledge the  receipt  of  an  invitation 
to  attend  the  Centennial  celebration  at 
Meriden,  Conn.,  during  the  third  week 
of  June,  and  regret  very  much  my  in- 
ability to  be  absent  from  my  station  at 
that  time. 

Thanking  you  very  much  for  your 
courtesy  and  hoping  for  the  success  of 
the  celebration  of  which  I  entertain  no 
doubts,   I   am 

Very   sincerely, 
CHAS.  E.  L.  B.  DAVIS, 

Brig.   Gen.  U.   S.   A. 


(Copy.) 
The  Attorney  General  regrets  ex- 
ceedingly that  engagements  in  Wash- 
ington prevent  his  accepting  the  kind 
invitation  of  the  people  of  Meriden, 
Connecticut,   to   the   Centennial   celebra- 

25 


(Copy.) 
Mr.  Cortelyou  regrets  his  inability 
to  accept  the  courteous  invitation  of 
the  people  of  Meriden,  Connecticut,  to 
attend  the  Centennial  celebration  and 
Old  Home  Week,  June  loth  to  i6th, 
1906.  commemorating  the  incorporation 
of  Meriden  as  a  town. 


(Copy.) 

The  Secretary  of  War  begs  to  thank 
the  people  of  Meriden,  Connecticut,  for 
their  kind  invitation  to  attend  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  and  Old  Home 
Week,  June  loth  to  i6th,  1906,  and 
greath'  regrets  that  on  account  of  the 
pressure  of  public  business,  he  is  unable 
to  accept. 

May  21.   1906. 


(Copy.) 

Postal     Telegraph     Commercial     Cables 

Cablegram. 

Katowitz,  June  8,   1906. 
To    PI.    Wales   Lines, 

Meriden,    Conn. 
Regards.     Success  Centennial  celebra- 
tion. 

CHARLIE  SCHMELZER. 


(Copy.) 
Convent  of  Merc\-, 
Middletown,  Conn.,  May  25,  1906. 
Mr.   George  H.   Wilcox, 

Secretary    Invitation    Committee. 
Dear  Sir  : — Your  very  kind  invitation 
received   with   gratitude.     While   regret- 
ting that  attendance  at  a  public  celebra- 
tion   would    be    incompatible    with    the 
rules  for  a  Sister  of  Mercy,  I  will  nev- 
ertheless be  with  you  in  spirit  through 
"Old   Home   Week,"   by  earnestly  pray- 
ing that   the   Great  Author   of  all   good 
may  bless  with  ever  increased  prosper- 
ity the  city  of  my  early  childhood. 
Yours    in   thankful    sinceritv. 
SISTER  M.   STANISLAUS. 


(Copy.) 
The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  is  hon- 
ored by  the  invitation  of  the  people  of 
Meriden,     Connecticut,    to    attend     the 


s86 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


Centennial  celebration  and  Old  Home 
Week,  June  loth  to  i6th,  and  regrets 
that  previous  engagements  prevent  an 
acceptance. 

Washington,    D.    C,   May   22,    1906. 


(Copy.) 
Waterbury,  Conn.,  June  i,   1906. 
Geo.  ^I.  Curtis,  Pres. 

Centennial    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear  Sir: — Your  invitation  to  attend 
the  Centennial  celebration  and  Old 
Home  Week  to  be  held  in  Meriden 
June  10  to  16,  1906,  is  at  hand,  for 
which  please  accept  my  thanks.  I  shall 
try  to  be  in  Meriden  some  time  dur- 
ing the   celebration. 

Very  truly  yours, 
WILLIAM    E.    THOMS, 

iMayor. 

(Copy.) 
"Chimney   Butte  Ranche," 
Fattig,   P.    O.   Mont.,  June  4,    1906. 
Hon.    H.    Wales  Lines,   Chariman, 
Invitation    Committee    Meriden    Cen- 
tennial,   Meriden,    Conn. 
My    Dear    Sir: — I    received    the    invi- 
tation   extended    to    myself    and    family 
to     attend     the     "Centennial     and     Old 
Home   Week,"   June    loth   to    i6th,   and 
thank  you  and  the  committee  for  your 
kind  remembrance  and  it  is  with  feel- 
ings of  sorrow  and  genuine  regret  that 
I  state  that  we  cannot  accept  the  same. 
After  these   twenty  years'    residence   in 
Montana,    I    still    love    dear    old    Meri- 
den,  my   fathers    friends   and    those   of 
my   acquaintance,   and    shall    ever   cher- 
ish   them.     May   your   celebration   be   a 
happy  and  grand  success  in  every  way, 
is  my  earnest  wish. 

With   kindest   regards,    I   am. 
Sincerely    vours, 
ELMER  BELA  CARTER. 


(Copy.) 
Connecticut   State   Library, 

Hartford,  May  19,  1906. 
George   H.   Wilcox, 
Secretary    Centennial    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn. 
Dear    Sir:— Please     accept     mv     besf 
thanks   for   the   invitation   to  your   Cen- 
tennial    exercises     just     received     this 
morning.     I   wish   to   congratulate  your 


committee  upon  the  work  thus  far  done. 
Having  had  an  opportunity  to  see 
what  several  who  are  to  take  part  up- 
on the  programme  are  doing  I  am  con- 
fident the  anniversary  must  be  a  suc- 
cess.    I   hope  to  be  present. 

Your   svery   truly, 

GEO.  S.  GODARD, 

State  Librarian. 


(Copy.) 
The  White  House, 
Washington. 
The  President  regrets  his  inability  to 
accept    the    courteous    invitation    of   the 
people   of   Meriden,   Connecticut,   to   at- 
tend the  Centennial  Celebration  and  Old 
Home  Week,  June  10-16,  1906. 


(Copy.) 
San   Francisco,   June    i,    1906. 
Geo.    H.    Wilcox, 

Sec.    Invitation    Committee, 

Meriden,  Conn, 
Dear  Sir : — I  beg  to  acknowledge  re- 
ceipt of  invitation  to  attend  the  Cen- 
tennial celebration  and  Old  Home 
Week,  loth  to  i6th  inst.,  Meriden.  I 
would  be  pleased  to  avail  myself  of  this 
occasion  to  meet  some  of  my  eastern 
friends  and  flee  from  the  ruins  of  this 
city,  but  duty  bids  me  stay  here  and 
help  even  in  a  small  way  to  rebuild 
dear  San  Francisco.  I  thank  you  for 
this  tittention  and  trust  that  your  cele- 
bration will  be  a  success. 
Very  truly, 

ERNEST  A.  LEIGH, 
[Formerly    First    Selectman.] 
815   Shatwell   St. 


(Copy.) 
State   of   Connecticut, 
E.xecutive  Department, 

Hartford,  May  22,  1906. 
To  the   Hon.   H.   Wales  Lines, 
Chairman  Committee  on  Invitations, 

Meriden  Centennial, 
Sir : — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowl- 
edge the  receipt  of  your  cordial  invi- 
tation to  the  Centennial  celebration  at 
Meriden  and  to  assure  you  how  much 
I  appreciate  the  compliment  which  you 
pay  me  in  extending  this  favor. 

Wishing  the  celebration  every  suc- 
cess, which  it  deserves,  and  knowing 
from  the  names  of  the  Aleriden  citizens 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


387 


noted  on  your  programme  that  the  ex- 
ercises of  "the  week  will  be  most  enjoy- 
able events,  for  the  success  of  which 
the  whole  state  will  extend  its  best 
wishes,  which  I  also  do  personally,  be- 
ing proud  of  the  progress  of  the  town 
and  city  since  their  inception  and  their 
standing  to-day  as  among  the  most  en- 
terprising of  our  communities,  I  beg  to 
remain, 

Sincerely  yours, 

HENRY  ROBERTS. 


(Copy.) 

Daughters  of  American  Revolution, 

Eunice  Dennie  Burr  Chapter, 

Fairfield,  Conn. 
Miss  Kippen,  regent  of  the  Eunice 
Dennie  Burr  Chapter,  Daughters  of 
American  Revolution,  accepts  with 
pleasure  the  polite  invitation  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Meriden,  Connecticut,  to  attend 
the  Centennial  celebration  and  Old 
Home  Week,  June  loth  to  i6th,  1906, 
commemorating  the  incorporation  of 
Meriden  as  a  town,  June  16,   1806. 


(Copy.) 
Cooperstown,  N.  Y.,  May  26,   1906. 

H.   Wales  Lines, 

Chairman      Invitation      Committee : 

Dear  Sir : — Accept  my  most  cordial 
thanks  and  appreciation  for  the  invi- 
tation to  attend  the  Centennial  celebra- 
tion and  Old  Home  Week,  June  10-16. 
I  sincerely  regret  that  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  be  present. 

What  a  delightful,  homey  sound 
"Old  Home  Week"  has.  It  is  New 
England  all  through  and  inspires  mem- 
ories of  the  days  when  the  "Old  Oak- 
en Bucket"  (not  the  modern  water 
wagon)  brought  us  drink  that  was  the 
most  refreshing  tipple  on  or  in  the 
earth. 

With    a   thousand    good    wishes, 
Faithfully   yours, 

JOHN   WORTHINGTON. 


(Copy.) 
Urbana,  111.,  May  28,  1906. 
Mr.    George    M.    Curtis, 

President    Centennial    Committee, 

Meriden,  Connecticut. 
My   Dear   Sir : — I   desire   to   acknowl- 
edge and  thank  you   for  the  handsome- 
ly  executed    invitation   which   comes   to 


me  to  attend  the  Centennial  celebration 
and  Old  Home  Week  at  Meriden,  Con- 
necticut. 

The  "Hanging  Hills"  remind  me  of 
mj'  boyhood  days,  when  I  used  to  climb 
the  hills  occasionally.  Meriden  was 
my  birthplace  and  I  still  have  many 
friends  there  and  have  had  during  the 
years   since   1858. 

It  will  not  be  possible  for  me  to  be 
with  3-ou  at  this  time,  but  I  wish  to 
extend  to  you  my  heartiest  congratula- 
tions upon  the  great  growth  and  pros- 
perity  of  the  city. 

Yours   very  truly, 
L.  P.  BRECKENRIDGE, 
Professor    of    Mechanical     Engineering, 

University  of  Illinois. 


(Copy.) 
Faith   Trumbull   Chapter, 

Norwich,  Conn. 
]\Ir.  H.  Wales  Lines : 

Dear  Sir : — The  invitation  from  "the 
people  of  Meriden"  to  the  regent  of 
Faith  Trumbull  chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  sure- 
ly merits  a  cordial  thank  you.  It  is  a 
delight  to  be  the  recipient  of  such  a 
dainty  programme.  I  have  seen  those 
hills  from  the  distance  many  times,  but 
I  never  knew  them  as  the  "Hanging 
Hills  of  Meriden."  I  shall  hereafter 
call  them  by  name.  And  the  wooden 
nutmeg!  The  idea  is  so  clever  and  the 
reproduction  of  the  original  article 
simply  tine.  And  between  the  covers 
there  seems  to  be  a  programme  ar- 
ranged for  each  day  that  offers  very 
much  that  is  full  of  interest  and  pleas- 
ure. 

Thank  you  for  the  invitation  which 
the  regent  of  Faith  Trumbull  appre- 
ciates as  a  mark  of  honor  for  the  or- 
ganization. 

Yours  very  truly, 

ELLEN  M.  KILBOURNE  BISHOP. 


(Copy.) 

The  Vice  President, 

Washington,   May  25,    1906. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  just  in  receipt 
of  the  cordial  invitation  of  Meriden, 
Connecticut,  to  attend  the  celebration  of 
Old  Home  Week,  commemorating  the 
incorporation  of  Meriden  as  a  town. 

I  am  very  grateful  for  the  invitation. 
-\Iy  engagements,  however,  are  such  as 
to  preclude  the  possibility  of  acceptance. 


388 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN, 


Be  good  enough  to  accept  for  yourself 
and  your  associates  my  thanks  for  your 
courtesy  and  my  best  wishes. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 
CHARLES  W.  FAIRBANKS. 
Mr.  George  M.   Curtis, 

President   Centennial    Committee, 
Meriden,  Conn. 


(Copy.) 
Boston,   Mass.,   May  28,    1906. 
Hon.    H.    Wales    Lines,    Chairman    of 

Committee  on  Centennial  Celebration, 

Meriden,    Conn., 

Honorable  and  Dear  Sir : — I  am  in  re- 
ceipt of  your  very  kind  invitation  to  at- 
tend the  Centennial  celebration  of  the 
City    of    Meriden,    Conn. 

I  regret  sincerely  that  appointments 
connected  with  the  office  will  take  me 
into  other  parts  of  New  England  at 
that  time  and  am  compelled  therefore 
to  forego  the  pleasure  of  rejoicing  with 
you  on  the  occasion  of  the  Centennial. 

If  the  art  discovered  in  the  invita- 
tion   is   any   indication    of   the    spirit    in 


which  this  Centennial  will  be  observed, 
it  is  certainly  assured  that  everything 
will  be  carried  out  in  a  spirit  that  has 
always  characterized  the  growth  of  your 
beloved  city.  I  need  not  add  that  I 
have  held  in  high  esteem  the  names  of 
Horace  C.  Wilcox,  Joel  I.  Butler,  Lem- 
uel J.  Curtis,  I.  C.  Lewis,  John  D.  Bil- 
lard  and  others,  not  a  few  of  them  of 
men  living  at  the  present  time.  They 
left  an  excellent  record,  and  passed  on 
a  worthy  trust,  which  seems  to  be  ac- 
cepted in  a  spirit  that  gives  promise  of 
a  larger  and  better  Meriden  than  ever. 
That  all  will  be  realized  that  you  are 
anticipating  is  the  sincere  wish  of 
Yours  truly, 
ASHER  ANDERSON. 


(Copy.) 
U.   S.  Naval  War  College, 
Newport,   R.    I.,    May   20,    1906. 
Captain     Sperry    acknowledges     with 
thanks    the   courtesy    of   the    Centennial 
in    sending    an    invitation    to    the    Old 
Home    celebration,    but    absence    abroad 
will    prevent    attendance. 


i 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


389 


Some  Centennial  Old  Residents 


MRS.  NANCY  PAYNE. 
Mrs.  Nancy  Payne,  widow  of  Nelson 
Payne,  resides  at  60  Broad  street.  The 
house,  where  she  lives,  was  built  four 
years  after  her  wedding  day  fifty  odd 
years  ago.  Mrs.  Payne  was  born  in 
North  Haven,  December  24,  1820,  being 
the  daughter  of  Levi  Brockett.  She 
was  married  at  nineteen  and  moved  to 
Meriden  with  her  husband,  who  was 
in  the  employ  of  Goodrich  &  Rutty, 
whose  factory  was  on  South  Broad 
street.  Mr.  Payne  was  a  tinsmith  by 
trade.  He  died  sixteen  years  ago  last 
March.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  selectmen  in  Meriden.  There 
is  one  son,  William  A.  Payne,  and 
three  grandchildren,  Lulu,  Percy  and 
Ruth  Payne.  Mrs.  Payne  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Baptist  church,  and 
one  of  the  oldest  communicants.  Wil- 
liam Atwater  is  the  only  one  whom 
she  recollected  as  being  a  member  of 
the  church  when  she  united  with  it. 
She  is  of  Revolutionary  descent,  her 
grandfather,  Enos  Brockett,  having 
served  in  the  American  army  under 
Washington. 


MRS.  JARED  LBWIb. 

Mrs.  Jared  Lewis,  of  North  First 
street  is  the  "banner"  old  lady  of 
Meriden. 

She  was  born  July  15,  1813,  in 
the  old  Paddock  homestead  in  the 
district  now  known  as  "over  East." 
Her  father  was  Samuel  Paddock  and 
her  mother  Mary  Seers  of  Middle- 
town.  The  Paddock  family  is  an  old 
and  estimable  one  in  the  community, 
connected  with  the  Ives,  Birdsey 
and  other  equally  prominent  fam- 
ilies. 

Mehitable  Paddock  spent  her 
early  life  on  her  father's  farm— and 
many  and  delightful  are  her  remem- 
brances of  her  childhood.  She  was 
especially  fond  of  the  hills  and  in 
conversation    now,      will      frequently 


talk  of  the  beauty  of  that  district  in 
which   she   lived. 

There  were  in  the  Paddock  family 
three  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Lewis 
was  the  youngest,  Samuel  Paddock: 
who  died  recently  being  the  oldest. 

She  attended  the  little  district 
school  which  is  still  standing  "over 
East"  and  remembered  as  her  "best" 
teacher  old  Captain  Collins,  the  kind', 
old  master  who  held  her  so  often  in 
his  lap.  Her  dearest  school  friend: 
was  Angeline  Pomeroy  who  married 
Eli   Ives. 

The  family  were  regular  wor- 
shippers at  the  Center  Congregation- 
al church,  the  "old  Center  church  on 
the  green,"  to  which  they  drove  in 
every  Sunday  in  an  immense  carry- 
all. Mrs.  Lewis  in  talking  now  about 
the  church  says  they  were  fond  of  it 
because  it  was  so  large  and  roomy, 
the  steeple  with  its  clock  was  an  ad- 
mired feature  and  the  old  bell, 
which  tolled  for  every  death,  a  con- 
stant reminder  of  the  after  life. 

In  183  0  she  was  married  to  Jared 
Lewis,  a  clothing  trader,  who  in 
partnership  with  his  brother  Pat- 
rick, did  a  thriving  business  in  the 
itenerant  peddling  line.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Isaac  C-  Lewis.  The  mar- 
riage was  solemnized  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Hinsdale,  one  of  the  early  pastors 
of  the  church,  in  the  Paddock  home- 
stead. 

For  a  time  after  her  marriage  Mrs. 
Lewis  lived  in  Wallingford  on  the 
N^orth  Farms,  but  later  moved  back 
to  Meriden,  whereshe  has  spent  her 
long  and  honorable  life. 

Four  children  were  born  to  the 
couple,  three  sons  and  one  daughter. 
Two  of  her  sons  were  killed  in  the 
Civil  war,  one  at  Antietam,  the  oi.her 
at  Petersburg.  These  with  ner  pa- 
rents are  buried  in  the  'cemetei-y  on 
Hanover  street.  One  son,  Jared 
Lewis,  of  this  city,  and  Mrs.  Hull, 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  are  still  liv- 
ing. 


390 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


For  a  woman  who  is  within  seven 
years  of  the  century  mark,  the  nono- 
genarian  is  a  wonderful  old  lady. 
She  takes  care  of  herself,  cooks  her 
own  meals  and  does  a  great  part  of 
her  own  housework.  She  refuses  as- 
sistance in  any  way. 

She  is  very  fond  of  seeing  and 
talking  with  young  people  and  has 
enjoyed  exceedingly  the  visits  of  the 
members  of  the  Congregational  Sun- 


MRS.    JARKD   LEWIS. 

day  school-  Although  her  frame  is 
worn  by  suffering  her  mind  is  won- 
derful retentive  and  barring  an 
occasional  mistake  in  a  date  she  can 
remember  events  in  her  life  with  re- 
markable accuracy.  She  receives 
many  visitors  who  come  to  her  to 
know  about  early  Meriden- 


MRS.  CATHERINE  L.  COE. 

Mrs.  Catherine  L.  Coe,  widow  of 
Russell  Coe,  lives  at  283  East  M.ain 
s*:reet,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents in  Meriden.  She  is  a  native  of 
Middlefield  and  a  daughter  of  Seth 
Birdsey.  Alvah  B.  Coe,  of  Middle- 
field,  is  her  nephew.      The  late  Judge 


Levi  E.  Coe,  of  Meriden,  was  a  cousin 
of  her  husband.  Russell  Coe  died 
ten  years  ago  last  March.  He  had 
been  a  manufacturer  of  phosphates  in 
New  York  and  spent  his  winters  there 
for  many  years.  Mrs.  Coe  has  lived 
in  the  residence  which  she  now  occu- 
pies since  1842,  when  her  husband 
bought  the   property. 


MRS.    BARBARA   ARNOLD. 

Mrs.  Barbara  Arnold,  widow  of  John 
Arnold,  resides  at  288  Curtis  street, 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  German  resi- 
dents in  Meriden.  She  is  a  native  of 
Wertenberg,  and  was  born  in  that  city 


MRS.  BARBARA  ARNOLD. 

December  1.  1S2!I.  She  came  to  the 
United  States  in  18.i2  and  has  lived 
in  Meriden  .")4  years.  Her  marriage 
took  place  in  Hartford,  December  31, 
1S.1.S,  the  marriage  services  being  con- 
ducted by  a  German  Lutheran  church 
clergyman.  The  husband  of  Mrs.  Ar- 
nold was  also  a  native  of  Germany. 
He  died  in  1880,  highly  respected  in 
the  community.  The  children  now 
living  are  Mrs.  Mary  Yauch,  Mrs.  Ade- 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


391 


line  Bock,  Mrs.  Eva  Morse,  Gustavus 
Arnold,  William  Arnold,  Samuel  Ar- 
nold and  Charles  Arnold.  One  mar- 
ried son,  John  Arnold,  died  five  years 
ago,  leaving  a  wife,  Mrs.  Amelia  Ar- 
nold, who  lives  at  167  Curtis  street. 
Mrs.  Arnold  is  a  member  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  her  hus- 
band was  one  of  the  founders. 


MRS.    CLARISSA   E.    REDFIELD. 

Mrs.    Clarissa     E.     Redfield     is    the 
widow   of    Horace    Redfield,   and    lives 


MRS.    CLARISSA   E.   REDFIELD. 

at  96  Curtis  street.  She  was  married 
October  15.  1847,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  this  city  since  1847,  having 
come  here  a  couple  of  years  before  her 
marriage.  She  is  a  communicant  of 
St.  Andrew's  church.  Mrs.  Redfield 
was  born  in  Guilford,  February  28, 
1828.  Her  father  was  David  Parma- 
lee,  of  Guilford.  She  is  not  able  to 
attend  church  of  late  years,  and  but 
rarely  leaves  the  house  for  visits  with 
old  friends. 

MRS.    CAROLINE    M.    YALE. 
Mrs.    Caroline    M.    Yale,    widow    of 
Horace  Yale,  who  died  in   1895,  will 


be  seventy-four  next  January.  She 
lives  at  208  West  Main  street  with 
her  daughter,  Miss  Charlotte  L. 
Yale,  the  well  known  artist.  Mrs. 
Yale  was  Caroline  M.  Andrews,  sis- 
ter of  Mrs.  Stephen  Parker,  and  was 
born  on  her  father's  farm  in  Cheshire. 
She  came  to  Meriden  at  an  early  age 
and  has  a  very  clear  remembrance 
of  this  city  in  its  early  days.  Mrs. 
Yale  has  a  very  large  circle  of 
warm  friends  and  is  one  of  Meri- 
den's  older  residents  who  occupies 
an  enviable  position  in  the  communi- 
ty. 

MRS.    STEPHEN    PARKER. 
One    of    Meriden's    oldest   residents 
and   one  who  took  the  deepest  inter- 


sm».. 


MRS.  STEPHEN  PARKER. 

est  in  Meriden's  Centennial  is  Mrs. 
Martha  M.  Parker,  widow  of  Stephen 
Parker,  who  will  be  seventy-nine  in 
August.  Mrs.      Parker      lives      at 

214  1-2  West  Main  street,  in  the 
block  owned  by  her  son,  S.  Olin 
Parker.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Martha  M.  Andrews.  She  was  born 
in  Cheshire  and  came  to  Meriden  as 
a  young  girl  in  1844  to  teach  school 
in  the  West  district.      The  following 


S'J2 


CEXTI£XXI.\L   OF    AIERIDEN. 


j-ear  she  married  Mr.  Parker  and  for 
years  resided  at  13  3  Warren  street. 
She  had  three  children,  S-  Olin  Par- 
ker, Mrs.  L.  M.  Booth  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Mich.,  and  Miss  Nettie  M. 
Parker,    deceased. 

Mrs.  Parker  is  a  most  charming 
lady  whom  no  one  would  think  to  be 
near  her  actual  years  and  she  has  a 
host  of  friends.      She  is  the  sister  of 


AIRS.  MORIVA  H.  DAVIS. 

Mrs.    Caroline   M.    Yale,    also   one   of 
Meriden's  best  known  old  ladies. 


MRS.  MORIVA  H.  DAVIS. 
Mrs.  Moriva  H.  Davis,  who  lives 
with  her  son.  Dr.  C.  H.  S.  Davis,  60 
Pleasant  street,  is  considered  the  old- 
est resident  of  Meriden.  She  was 
ninety-five  years  old  May  19,  and  is 
now  in  her  ninety-sixth  year.  She 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  May 
19,  1811,  and  has  lived  in  Meriden  fifty- 
six  years.  Her  husband,  Dr.  Timothy 
Fisher  Davis,  died  in  1870.  Mrs.  Davis 
was  the  mother  of  the  late  Judge  Wil- 
bur F.  Davis  and  of  Mrs.  Linus  Bird- 
sey,  also  deceased.  Her  grandchil- 
dren are  Wilbur  F.  Davis,  jr.,  and  Rob- 
ert Davis,  sons  of    Judge    Davis,  and 


Henry  Winter  Davis,  son  of  Dr. 
Davis.  Barbara  Davis,  the  daughter 
of  Henry  Winter  Davis,  is  of  the 
fourth  generation.  Mrs.  Davis  is 
finely  preserved  for  a  woman  of  her 
years  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
every  day  affairs  and  events. 


MRS.  ROXANNA  G.  BALDWIN. 
Mrs.  Roxanna  G.  Baldwin,  who  lives 
at  61  Cottage  street,  is  nearly  85  years 
old.  In  spite  of  a  severe  lameness 
from  which  she  sufLers  she  is  out  al- 
most every  day  in  the  year.  Her 
husband,  Linus  Baldwin,  died  26 
years  ago.  She  was  born  in  Meriden, 
September  25,  1821,  being  the  daugh- 
ter of  Eleazur  Seovil.  She  is  the  last 
of    her    family.       Mrs.    Baldwin    is    a 


^,/v.      ^^^  ?^X«!;>^        \ 


MRS.  ROXANNA  G.  BALDWIN. 

member  of  the  First  Baptist  church 
in  Meriden,  and  has  always  resided 
here. 

MRS.    LUTHER  BOARDMAN. 

One    of    the    oldest    visitors    to    the 

Centennial   and   a  former   resident   of 

Meriden  is  Mrs.  Luther  Boardman,  of 

East     Haddam,     who     is     ninety-one 


CENTENNIAL   OF    MERIDEN. 


393 


years  of  age.  Mrs.  Boardman  was 
born  in  Meriden,  March  20,  1815,  and 
was  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  Frary,  her  mother's  maiden 
name  being  Ann  Taylor,  of  Middle 
Haddam.  Mrs.  Boardman  made  Mer- 
iden her  home  until  she  was  able  to 
work,  when  she  settled  in  East  Had- 
dam. Besides  Mrs.  Boardman  there 
were  three  other  children,  one  boy  and 
two    girls,    and    ag    she    has    always 


^IRS.  LUTHER    BOARDMAN. 

called  Meriden  her  home,  she  decided 
to  spend  the  whole  of  Centennial 
week  in  this  city  and  was  registered  at 
the  Winthrop  hotel.  Mrs.  Boardman, 
despite  her  age,  is  very  spry  and  has 
always  enjoyed  the  best  of  health. 
Mrs.  Burton  L.  Lawton,  of  Lincoln 
street,  is  a  grand-daughter  of  Ml-. 
Boardman. 


MRS.    CATHERINE   BURKE. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Burke,  who  lives  at 
302  1-2  East  Main  street,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  representatives  of  the  Irish  race 
living  in  the  city.  She  was  born  in 
Ireland  76  years  ago,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1848.       Her  husband 


was  James  Burke,  who  died  here  in 
1878.  Mrs.  Burke  was  married  on 
the  same  day  in  the  old  Catholic 
church  at  the  corner  of  Broad  and 
Olive  streets,  with  Mrs.  Mary  Flynn, 
Mr.  Flynn  was  her  brother,  and  the 
two  weddings  took  place  at  the  same 
time.  The  Rev.  Hugh  O'Reilley  of- 
ficiated at  the  marriage  service.  Mrs. 
Burke  has  three  children  living. 
They  are  the  Rev.  Mother  Berchmaus 
of  the  Convent  in  Middletown,  and 
Edward  A.  and  John  F.  Burke  of 
Meriden.  She  is  a  member  of  St. 
Rose's  church.  Her  husband  was  a 
native  of  Ireland.  The  sister-in-law 
of  Mrs.  Burke,  Mrs.  Flynn,  is  also  a 
recognized  representative  of  the  Irish 
people  of  Meriden,  and  is  thoroughly 


MRS.  CATHERINE  BURKE. 

esteemed  by  them.  The  children  of 
Mrs.  Flynn  living  here  are  John  and 
James   Flynn   and   Mrs.   Peter   Taylor. 


MRS.  MYRA  E.  CLARK. 

Mrs.  Myra  E.  Clark,  who  lives  with 
her  daughters,  Mrs.  John  Rule,  104 
Cooke  avenue,  is  among  the  oldest 
feminine  residents  of  Meriden,  having 


394 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


lived  here  for  over  fifty-five  years. 

Mrs.  Clark,  who  is  well  known  by 
the  older  people  of  Meriden,  was  born 
in  Mystic,  March  13,  1837,  and  is  69 
years  of  age.  In  1851  she  came  to 
Meriden  to  visit  her  sister,  Mrs.  Daniel 
Connell,  and  she  liked  the  town  so 
well  that  she  decided  to  stay  here,  and 
secured  a  position  at  the  Pomeroy 
shop  in  East  Meriden. 


^IRS    MVRA  E    CL\RK 

Mrs  C  lari\,  -fthose  maiden  name  was 
M\ra  Gu>ant,  was  married  in  Meri- 
den in  1S")(;  Nine  children  were 
born  to  the  (Onple,  six  of  whom  are 
still  living  Mr  Clark  died  twenty- 
four  years  ago.  Mrs  Clark  has  al- 
ways enjoyed  the  best  of  health.  She 
is  a  life  member  of  the  W;  C.  T.  U. 
and  the  Political  Equality  club,  and 
also  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  church. 


MRS.  SOPHIA  HALL  COE. 
Mrs.  Sophia  Hall  Coe,  widow  of 
Judge  Levi  K.  Coe,  was  born  in  Middle- 
field,  April  6,  1829,  and  is  in  her  sev- 
enty-eighth year.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Harley  Hall  and  has  a  Revolu- 
tionary lineage.     Two  of  her  ancestors 


on  her  mother's  side,  Sylvanus  Cone, 
of  East  Haddam,  and  Ensign  Gideon 
Ackley,  were  both  in  the  war  for  In- 
dependence. Mrs.  Coe  was  the  first 
regent  of  the  D.  A.  R.  in  Meriden, 
holding  the  office  for  two  years.  She 
is  the  honorary  regent  of  Susan  Car- 
rington  Clarke  chapter  at  the  present 
time.  Her  marriage  to  Judge  Coe 
took  place  at  the  home  of  her  father 
in  Middlefield,  November  27,  1851,  and 
was  a  society  event  in  Middlefield  cir- 
cles. Mr  and  Mrs  Coe  became  resi- 
dents of  Meriden  in  1853,  and  through 
a  period  of  fltt\  years  were  active  in 
the  social  and  literarv  life  of  the  city. 
Judge  Coe  was  prominent  in  politics 
lUid  a  citizen  ot  high  ci\ic  ideals.  His 


MRS.  SOPHIA    HALL    COE. 

death  occurred  November  2,  1903.  Mrs. 
Coe  is  domiciled  at  the  Meriden  House, 
her  old  home  on  Colony  street,  having 
been  given  up.  She  has  no  family, 
her  only  two  children  having  died  in 
tender  years.  She  is  a  woman  of  at- 
tractive social  traits  and  has  long 
adorned  Meriden  society.  She  has 
superior  literary  instincts  and  has 
written   a  work  of  genealogical  inter- 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


395 


est  under  the  title,  "Hall  Memoranda." 
It  was  published  in  1902  and  is  a 
model  of  research,  tracing  the  ances- 
try of  the  Hall  and  Cone  families. 


MRS.  PAULINE  M.  HULL. 

Mrs.  Pauline  M.  Hull,  widow  of  Se- 
lah  A.  Hull,  a  Meriden  stock  broker, 
was  born  in  Simsbury,  April  13,  1837. 


MRS.  PAULINE  M.  HULL. 

Her  husband,  who  was  a  brother  of 
John  R.  Hull  and  Hobart  C.  Hull,  died 
in  February,  1904.  Mrs.  Hull  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Universalist  church  in 
Meriden  and  is  a  member  of  its  Ladies' 
society.  The  only  doughter,  Louise 
M.,  is  the  wife  of  George  W.  Fairchild, 
son  of  Vice  President  Fairchild,  of  the 
H.  Wales  Lines  company.  Mr.  Fair- 
child  was  engaged  in  the  stock  broker- 
age business  with  Selah  A.  Hull  and 
has  continued  it  since  the  latter's 
death.  Mrs.  Hull  has  two  brothers, 
George  M.  Phelps,  of  Hartford,  and 
John  Phelps,  of  Simsbury. 


would  believe  that  Mrs.  Pelton  had 
quaffed  copiously  of  its  rejuvenating 
waters.  Picture  to  yourself  an  old 
lady,  looking  scarce  seventy  years, 
almost  six  feet  tall,  straight  as  a  strip- 
ling, with  eyes  bright  as  a  school 
girl's  and  manner  as  alert,  and  you 
will  find  it  hard  to  believe  she  is 
ninety-three  years  old.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born  In  Middle- 
town,  Conn.,  October  9,  1812.  To  be 
born  in  the  year  of  tne  second  war 
with  England  is  a  distincnon  In  itself, 
and  there  is  no  danger  that  she  will 
forget  her  birth  year,  a  not  uncom- 
mon happening  with  people  who  have 
lived  so  long,  especially  women.  Her 
father  was     Samuel     Cotton     and  her 


CAROLINE    A.    PELTON. 
If  there  were  such  a  thing  as  the 
fountain     of     perpetual     youth,     one 


MRS.    CAROLINE   A.    PELTON. 

mother  Annie  Powers.  The  life  of  a 
child  in  those  days  was  uneventful 
and  happy,  spent  in  assisting  the  pa- 
rents with  the  many  farm  duties,  and 
Mrs.  Pelton's  girlhood  was  no  excep- 
tion. 

She  was  married  when  nineteen 
years  old  to  the  George  Pelton  who 
was  a  captain  of  a  scnooner     sailing 


396 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


between  Middletown  and  New  York 
on  the  Connecticut  river.  It  is  a 
charm  against  ennui  to  hear  Mrs.  Pel- 
ton  tell  of  the  quaint  way  of  travel- 
ing in  those  days;  how  tne  captain 
would  wait  for  a  good  wind  to  help 
him  on  the  journey  to  New  York.  Of 
course,  on  a  calm  day  the  schooner 
would  not  leave  port,  anu  when  by 
the  help  of  Aeolus  the  ooat  was  start- 
ed it  took  four  days  to  reacn  Its  des- 
tination. It  would  take  columns  of 
space  to  repeat  the  amusing  anecdotes 
told  by  Mrs.  Pelton  anout  her  many 
experiences  on  the  river  boats. 

Mr.  Pelton  was  drowned  at  Hell 
Gate  while  on  duty.  A  treasure  owned 
by  Mrs.  Pelton  is  some  old  spoons, 
hammered  and  designee  ny  her  fa- 
ther, who  was  a  silversmitn  and  jew- 
eler. In  those  days,  the  jeweler  made 
all  his  own  spoons,  and  these  are  of 
very    quaint    workmanship. 

Mrs.  Pelton  had  eight  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Wheeler,  of  33  Ranaoiph  avenue, 
where  the  aged  lady  lives;  Mrs. 
Frank  Wheeler  and  Alfred  Pelton,  of 
Cold  Springs,  N.  Y.  Her  oiaest  great- 
grandchild is  Margaret  Robinson,  of 
this  city,  sixteen  years  old. 

Mrs.  Pelton  has  been  a  regular  at- 
tendant at  the  Episcopal  church  until 
within  a  few  years  ago,  when  it  was 
deemed  advisable  that  she  should  not 
exert  herself  so  much,  and  now  she 
does  not  leave  the  house  at  all. 
When  asked  if  she  had  seen  the  Cen- 
tennial decorations  and  displays,  Mrs. 
Pelton  said  she  had  not  but  she 
would  certainly  try  to  get  down  town 
some  time  during  the  week.  "You 
know,  I  am  slightly  deaf,"  she  said, 
"and  I  do  not  hear  as  mucn  about  it 
as  I  should  otherwise,  but  from  what 
I  understand  it  is  going  to  be  a  fine 
thing." 

MRS.  GRACE  B.  PARKER. 
Mrs.  Grace  B.  Parker,  widow  of  Rev. 
John  Parker,  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  was  born  in  Meriden,  De- 
cember 16,  1830.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Orrin  Belden  and  her  birthplace 
was  within  a  stone's  throw  of  her  pres- 
ent home,  229  East  Main  street.  She 
was  married  to  Mr.  Parker  in  this  res- 
idence  .January   22,   1868.       Rev.     Mr. 


Parker,  who  died  June  21,  1892,  was 
deeply  interested  in  Meriden.  He 
started  the  First  Methodist  church  here 
in  1843.  He  was  raised  in  Harmony 
lodge,  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  New  Britain,  De- 
cember 11,  1838,  and  became  a  charter 
member  and  first  worshipful  master  of 
Meridian  lodge,  of  Meriden.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  St.  Elmo  command- 
ery.  Knights  Templar.  He  was  active 
in  the  interests  of  Odd  Fellowship  in 
this  city.  He  was  born  in  Cheshire, 
August  30,  1805.  His  father,  Stephen 
Parker,  was  in  the  Revolutionary 
army.  After  his  discharge  he  walked 
home  from  New  York  to  Cheshire 
Street  in  the  dead  of  winter.  Mrs. 
Parker  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Methodist  church  in  Meriden.  Her 
only  brother,  James  E.  Belden,  of  Mer- 
iden, died  a  number  of  years  ago.  She 
has  one  sister  living,  Mrs.  Mary  Higley 
widow  of  Erastus  Higley,  of  Meriden. 
Her  home  occupies  one  of  the  most 
noticeable  sites  on   East  Main  street. 


MRS.    LOUISA   C.   HULL. 

Mrs.  Louisa  C.  Hull,  widow  of  John 
C.  Hull,  was  born  in  Meriden,  Jan- 
uary 13,  1830.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Ezra  Rutty,  of  the  old-time  firm  of 
Goodrich  &  Rutty,  well-known  tin 
manufacturers  in  South  Meriden  in 
their  day.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
Mrs.  Hull  united  with  the  First  Bap- 
tist church,  with  which  her  father 
was  prominently  identified,  being 
the  treasurer  of  the  Sunaay  school  un- 
til the  time  of  his  death  in  March, 
1887.  Mrs.  Hull  was  married  in  Sep- 
tember, 1861.  Her  husband,  who  was 
in  the  grocery  trade  with  Norman 
Hall,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hull  & 
Hall,  died  in  1862.  There  is  one  son, 
John  K.  Hull,  who  has  been  a  travel- 
ing salesman  for  Parker  Brothers  for 
years.  Mrs.  Hull  has  one  grandchild, 
Harold  Hull.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband,  she  returned  to  the  home  of 
her  father,  living  with  him  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mr.  Rutty, 
the  father  of  Mrs.  Huil,  bought  the 
parsonage  that  had  been  used  by  two 
pastors  of  the  First  Baptist  church, 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Miller  and  C.  E. 
Cordo,  and  by  the  pastor  of  the  Cen- 
ter Congregational  church,  the  Rev. 
Joseph  J.  Woolley,  and  spent  his  last 


CENTENNIAL   OF   MERIDEN. 


397 


years  there.  It  was  during  this  peri- 
od that  the  name  of  Goodrich  &  Rut- 
ty was  changed  to  Rutty  &  Ives.  Mr. 
Rutty  was  one  of  the  first  Odd  Fellows 
in  Merlden,  and  was  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  Pacific  lodge  for  years. 
Since  his  death  Mrs.  Hull  has  occupied 
the  home,  which  he  left,  335  Curtis 
street.  She  is  connected  with  the 
Baptist  societies  in  the  city.  She  is 
the  sister  of  Mrs.  William  B.  Ives, 
whose  husband  is  the  owner  of  the 
Meriden    house    property. 


Curtis  street  was  named  in  honor  of 
them.  Mrs.  Curtis  is  in  her  eighty- 
fifth  year. 


MRS.  JULIETTE  Y.  CURTIS. 
Mrs.  Juliette  Y.  Curtis  is  the  widow 
of  Asahel  H.  Curtis,  who  was  treasur- 
er of  the  Meriden  Savings  bank  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  July  23,  1877.  Mr. 
Curtis  had  been  postmaster  and  city 
treasurer.  His  death  occurred  sud- 
denly in  the  bank  of  which  he  had 
been  the  treasurer  eleven  years.  Mrs. 
Curtis  was  born  in  Wallingford,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1822  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Charles  Yale.  She  was  married  to  Mr. 
Curtis  in  Meriden  sixty-five  years  ago. 
Rev.  Dr.  Everest,  rector  of  St.  An- 
drew's church,  officiating  at  the  mar- 
riage services.  Mrs.  Curtis  is  a 
communicant  of  St.  Andrew's.  She 
is  of  Revolutionary  stock  and  a  well 
known  representative  of  the  Yale  fam- 
ily, founders  of  Yalesville.  Charles 
B.  Yale,  G.  Selden  Yale  and  George  H. 
Yale,  of  Wallingford  are  nephews  of 
Mrs.  Curtis.  Her  husband's  family 
was  prominent  in  Meriden  affairs  and 


MRS.    HANNAH    BOWE. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Bowe  is  a  life  long 
resident  of  Meriden.  Born  in  Mid- 
dletown,  March  23,  1833,  she  came 
to  this  city  in  her  childhood  and 
has  lived  here  since. 

She  is  the  widow  of  Austin  Bowe, 
the  pioneer  carriage  manufacturer 
of  the  Silver  city  and  stilt  retains  an 
interest  in  the  business  now  carried 
on  by  her  sons,  Wallace  F.  Bowe 
and   H.   W.   Bowe. 

Mrs.  Bowe  is  a  wonderfully  well 
preserved  old  lady  and  possesses  a 
fund  of  stories  concerning  Meriden 
in  the  thirties.  Her  broiLer-in-law, 
Henry  Bowe,  was  at  one  time  pro- 
prietor of  the  old  Meriden  tavern, 
and  her  consequent  intimate  connect- 
ions with  the  people  who  came  and 
went  from  the  old  hostlery  gave  her 
an  experience  rich  in  anecdote. 

Her  home  was  for  many  years  in 
the  Carpenter  homestead  on  East 
Main  street,  and  later  .she  lived  iji 
the  Wilcox  place  on  Broad  street, 
old   landmarks   of  the  city. 

Mrs.  Bowe  is  extremely  active  for 
a  person  of  her  years.  She  frequent- 
ly walks  from  her  son's  home  on 
Reservoir  avenue  to  the  center  and 
back.  She  was  very  much  interested 
in  Meriden's  Centennial  and  took  in 
every  event  of  the  great  week  she 
could. 


398  CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 

TREASURER'S  REPORT. 


Dr. 

Received  from  Subscriptions    $1,030.00 

Received  from  Town  of  Meriden    1,500.00 

Received  from  Official    Programmes    2,077.00 

Received  from  Pure  Food  Exhibit   786.64 

Received  from  Miscellaneous    534-42 

Received  from  George  H.  Yeamans,  Auditor : 

Religious  Committee   $      24.00 

Licenses  and  Privileges    1,830.57 

Colonial    Ball    1,440.00 

Publicity  and  Souvenirs 447-50 

Badges   and   Invitations    222.75 

Commission  on  Century  of  Meriden 1,091.89 

Music  and  Public  Entertainment    632.71 

First  Town  Meeting   308.86 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Sports 104.03 

General  Athletic  Sports  (Baseball)   268.35 

Ladies'  Reception  and  Entertainment 97-48 

Loan   Exhibit    280.67—  $6,748.81 

$12,676.87 
Cr. 

Paid  for  Music $1,286.08 

Paid  for  Decorations 1,915.1 1 

Paid  for  Entertainment    2,650.00 

Paid  for  Town  Hall 921-97 

Paid  for  Advertising 934.48 

Paid  for   Invitations    840.35 

Paid  for  Printing 1,840.71 

Paid  for  Programmes    685.00 

Paid  for  Fireworks    150.00 

Paid  for  Miscellaneous 1,106.19 

Cash  on  hand   346.38 

$12,676.87 
Respectfully  submitted, 

Floyd  Curtis,  Treasurer. 
Meriden,  Conn.,  December  i,  1906. 


CENTENNIAL    OF    MERIDEN. 


399 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Authorized  by  Town  Meeting 
General  Committees 
Origin  of  Centennial 
Sub-Committees    . 
Programme  for  Week 
Commemoration  Poem 
Centennial  Greeting   (poem) 
Financing   Celebration 
Opening  of  Old  Home  Week 
Sunday  Observances,  June  lO 
Monday,  June  ii,  Opening  Day 
Tuesday,  June  12,  G.  A.  R.  Day 
Wednesday,  June  13,  Labor  Day 
Thursday,  June   14,  Military  Day 
Friday,  June  15,  Wallingford  Day 
Saturday,  June  16,  Incorporation  Day 
Centennial  Comfort  Houses   . 
Loan  Exhibit         .... 
Old  Home  Week  Visitors 
Press  Comments,  Letters  of  Regrets,  etc 
Some  Old  Centennial  Residents 
Treasurer's    Report 


Page. 

3- 
4-1 1 

12-14 

15-33 

34-35 
46-49 

50-5^ 

54-57 

58 

59-87 
88-98 
99-160 
161-188 
189-215 
216-284 
285-35^ 
353.  354 
355-363 

364-369 
370-388 

389-397 
39^ 


40O 


CENTENNIAL  OF   MERIDEN. 


CURTIS  MEMORIAL  LIBRARY. 


University  of 
Connecticut 

Libraries 


